The Hazel From Hoenn
by JohtoBlue
Summary: Traveling has never been easy. Pokemon training has never been easy either. Try combining the two! Hazel takes on a new world that she's never seen before, trying to simply find herself. She's joined by her quirky best friend, Soru, and her her two new friends, Stetson and Elise. Come join the adventure while they travel through Kanto.
1. The Thought

**Prologue**

The frigid wind bit at the girl's face as she trudged through Mt. Silver. She had finally walked the length of the tunnel that she'd been on for days now. It had seemed to be endless. Whenever she had tried to look up, the icy gusts would only sting her eyes, but she'd try again and again. This time, she saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Had she finally found what she was looking for? She tried her hardest to run to the light, but her tired body could only make it to a slow jog. She reached the end and looked out and around. The view was breathtaking. She was at the top of the mountain and could see the Johto region to the west and Kanto region to the east. She kept walking up the mountain. The higher she climbed, the more the storm seemed to calm. She no longer had to squint into the wind and only a chilly breeze whipped her hair around. She was surprised when she found stairs leading up an incredibly steep slope, one she could not hope to climb if they had not been there. She could see the top stair, but everything after that was covered in clouds. She began to climb quickly, the adrenaline pumping through her veins allowing her to run. She watched her step to make sure she did not trip, but halfway up the stairs she looked up to the top. There were feet in old, dirty tennis shoes standing on the top stair. The girl only ran faster to the top, soon able to make out the face of a boy with shaggy brown hair.

"You received my letters, Hazel?" The boy asked. He wore no jacket to shield him from the cold, only a grey t-shirt with a hood and grey, baggy pants. Hazel immediately knew he was.

"Azul…" the girl marvelled.

**Chapter One**

A boy raced out of his home. He jumped from his front porch to the stone sidewalk. Before he could reach his white picket fence, a voice called out to him.

"Soru! Are you going to leave without her present?" His mother called from the porch. She was waving a small box, wrapped in shiny blue paper and topped with a bow, above her head. In her other arm she held a small girl, no older than three. She smiled cutely at her flustered brother.

"Crap!" Soru screeched. He ran back to the porch and swiftly grabbed ahold of the box.

Soru finally made it out of the boundaries of his white picket fence and raced down the street. The sun was beginning to set, and the street lights were beginning to come on, lighting his path. It wasn't long before he reached his destination. He ran up the porch and knocked impatiently on the screen door.

A woman opened up the door. Her face brightened whenever Soru walked in. He slipped off his shoes and darted for the stairs, box in hand.

* * *

"So, tomorrow our journey begins, Hazel. I can't wait," Soru, the boy with now messy hair, told a girl. He wore dark grey cargo pants and a red t-shirt that was equipped with a black hood. "It's been a long two months since I got Torchic, but it's worth it," Soru said, pulling a Poké Ball from his pocket and pressing the center button on the ball, causing it to expand.

Hazel smiled. "I can't wait for tomorrow either! I finally turn ten, and I get my first Pokémon!"

"Then, we can travel throughout Hoenn together! And you have no need to be scared or anything; you'll have your best buddy, Soru with you!" Soru announced confidently. He held his Poké Ball out from his body and struck a pose.

The girl sighed. "Yeah…"

Hazel had long, dark hair that was pulled up into ponytail and was pinned in the front. She wore light blue pajamas, ready to go to sleep once Soru left.

Soru frowned. "Well, you are wanting to journey with me, right? Hazel, if I waited for two months, doing nothing, I'm going to be very angry at you!"

"Of course I want to travel with you! We've been like best friends for years and I wouldn't give up an adventure with you for anything!" Hazel snapped.

Soru crossed his arms and blew his hair out of his face. "You just didn't sound very excited, that's all."

"It's hard to explain," Hazel mumbled. Before Soru could ask her to clarify, Hazel's mother walked into her room.

"Hazel, you need to get to sleep if you want to get out early tomorrow," she exclaimed.

Soru nodded. "I'll get going, then. You get your rest, and tomorrow we'll go see which Pokémon you get!" He then bowed his head slightly and left the room.

Once it was clear that Soru had left their house, Hazel's mother turned and laughed. "That boy is full spunk! Reminds me of your father whenever he was younger."

"You and dad met in Kanto, didn't you?" Hazel asked before her mom could turn and leave her mess of a room.

"We met in Kanto, then, once you were born, we moved to Hoenn for a new beginning," her mom explained. "Anymore questions, dear?"

Hazel smiled and put her head down on her pillow. "No, I'm good. I'm just –"

"You don't want to travel in Hoenn, do you?" Her mom interrupted. "Why not? Hoenn is beautiful."

"We've been around Hoenn though! You've taken me everywhere in Hoenn. I thought that maybe I could start fresh with new sights somewhere else," Hazel explained.

Hazel's mother then turned the lights out. "You have tonight to collect your thoughts. I know that you'll pick what is best for you." She then closed the door and walked down the hallway, away from Hazel's room.

"I just don't want to leave Soru alone," Hazel mumbled before falling asleep. Dreams of Pokémon filled her head.

* * *

"Hazel," a voice called out softly. "Hazel, it's time to wake up…" Hazel suddenly felt herself being pushed and she shot up in her bed. Soru stood at the side of her bed.

"I was asleep for, like, an hour," Hazel exclaimed before sitting up.

Soru nodded and laughed. "That's probably because your mind is restless! Let's get going!"

"I would like to eat first. I'm starving," she said with a frown. She held at her stomach. "Need… food…"

Her mother walked in. "That's great! I made food," she announced. "You can join us too, Soru. I made French toast!"

Hazel quickly got dressed before going downstairs. She blue leggings under a black mini skirt. She had on a black and blue under armor top that squeezed to her figure. On top of that was a high cut blue shirt with a black hood. She made her way downstairs to find Soru gulping down thin slices of French Toast that he had drenched in syrup. She took a seat at the table and began to drizzle her own syrup on her food.

"Ten long years! I've waited ten long years!" She said before taking a bite of her food.

Soru nodded and finished chewing a bite. "Do you have any idea who you're going to pick yet, Hazel? You have the choice between Torchic, Mudkip, and Treecko!"

"Well, I know from the past couple of months that Torchic could make an awesome partner," Hazel thought.

Soru grinned and pulled out a Poké Ball. "C'mon out, Torchic!" The Poké Ball burst open and a white light emerged. From the white light, a small orange Pokémon appeared on the dinner table.

"Torchic!" It cried out happily. It looked down and noticed that there was food on the table but before it could swipe any, Soru grabbed it and gave it a hug to prevent from any food stealing.

"Keep your Torchic under control, Soru," Hazel's mother snapped. "I don't want any dirty feet on my table!"

"Sorry…" Soru mumbled. "So, anyway! What Pokémon will you be picking?"

"I don't know yet! You can't just pick a Pokémon because it is that Pokémon. You and that Pokémon have to match," Hazel explained. "Why did you pick Torchic?"

Torchic squirmed before Soru forced it to stop by squeezing it harder. "Torchic…" It cried before giving up.

Soru grabbed a piece of French toast and fed it to his Pokémon. "I picked Torchic because it was the right choice… I guess the same way that you're going to pick."

"I just know that I can't wait!" Hazel then finished her food and got up from the table and put her dish in the sink. Whenever she turned, she found her mom twirling around a dark blue beret in her hands.

"I think that it may keep the shade out of your eyes," her mom commented before placing it on Hazel's head. "Happy Birthday, Hazel…"

Hazel grabbed it and hugged it to her chest. "Thanks mom!" She looked at Soru who as still holding Torchic. He was now trying to inch his way outside. "We have to go!" She declared before charging outside with Soru.

And their Pokémon journey now begins.

**A/N So, here it is! Our newest story! I don't know exactly how much we'll be updating this one, but I honestly can't wait for you to all read it! If you wish to submit an OC, send it to my message box. NOT IN A REVIEW. We aren't accepting any traveling partners. We hope you enjoy this read as much as I've enjoyed writing it.**

**A/N 2 Just so you all know, this takes place three years after Azul's story, and three years before Free, Heather, and Spade's stories. Make sure you check those stories out!**

**Much Love from Thea and Free! Johto Blue**


	2. The Birthday

Hazel and Soru raced through the streets of Littleroot Town. There were hardly any businesses; the town was mostly comprised of small neighborhoods. It was the kind of town that you could get into a fight with someone, and everyone would know within ten minutes. All in all, the town wasn't big at all.

However, because Hazel and Soru had been given the chance to travel with Pokémon, it made the trip to get their Pokémon seem like a long one.

"Wait up, Soru! Why do you have to run so fast?" Hazel cried out desperately while she tried to keep up with her friend's incredible speed.

Soru laughed. "We don't have that far to run! Littleroot is a small town!"

"That doesn't mean that I want to run!" Hazel yelled angrily. She didn't have to run anymore, though. Soru stopped and folded his arms.

"Look, we're here." Soru pointed at the lab, which was right next to them.

Hazel panted hard and wiped sweat off of her forehead. "We could've walked!"

The lab looked like an oversized house. It had wooden gates around the sides to keep all of the Pokémon in the back from running away. It was two stories, and the second story had many windows.

"The sooner, the better!" Soru said with a smile, squeezing Torchic roughly.

"Torchic!" It cried out angrily.

Hazel sighed and pushed the lab door open. When they walked in, they found the professor at his desk, reading through random sheets of paper. The duo approached him, but he didn't notice. It was as if he was blind to the world outside his work.

"Professor Birch," Hazel said quietly.

"Huh?" He grunted without looking up. He didn't even acknowledge that he had company.

Soru frowned and took in a deep breath to yell, "Are you alive, dude?!"

Birch suddenly shot up from his desk and looked around frantically. "What? What did I miss?" He noticed the two kids and smiled before scratching the back of his head. "Oh, it's you, Hazel. What are you doing here?"

Hazel groaned. "Of course. The day I show up, he doesn't know what he's doing."

"She wants her Pokémon!" Soru snapped. "C'mon, man! We have a journey to get on with!"

"Oh, that's right!" Birch said with a smile. "Well, let's get on with that!" He walked over to a table and put down a messenger bag. "Your new Pokémon lies in this bag." He grabbed into the bag and pulled out three Poké Balls.

"Torchic, Mudkip, and Treecko!" Hazel announced. "I am totally ready!"

Professor Birch nodded and pressed the buttons on two of the Poké Balls. From one of the balls emerged a blue Pokémon with orange cheeks and a dorsal fin for a tail. The other was a Torchic. "This would be Mudkip and the other, Torchic."

"Torchic!" Soru's Pokémon called out happily to the other Torchic.

The professor picked up the last Poké Ball and pushed the button. The white flash emerged and a small green Pokémon that stood on two legs was formed. It glared at Hazel. "The last one of the trio, Treecko."

"I don't like the way it looks at me," Hazel mumbled.

Soru looked at the three of them. "Any of them would be an awesome choice! The Treecko seems like a beast, and we both know that Torchic is, like, awesome!"

Hazel nodded and then looked at the Mudkip. It was staring at Hazel with the big eyes that could melt anyone's heart. "It's so adorable!"

"Yeah! Best friends think alike! So, you're picking Torchic?" Soru interjected with a grin.

Hazel grinned and shook her head. "I think that I'll be picking Mudkip."

At the sound of this, Mudkip jumped up happily.

Soru sighed, "Oh well! Any of the choices would be awesome." Soru glanced at the Treecko and Torchic before mumbling, "I guess."

"So, you're picking Mudkip?" Professor Birch asked, scratching at his bushy brown beard.

Hazel nodded. "I think that it'd be a fun partner to travel with!" She grabbed it and pulled it into a hug.

Treecko glared before kicking its Poké Ball's button and letting itself be absorbed back into the ball.

"Treecko…" Professor Birch mumbled. "Always playing 'hard-to-get.'" Birch looked back at Hazel. "Alright, it looks like you can now begin your adventure. I'll go get some, uh, stuff you'll need for your journey," Birch said before he took off from the big room that they were in and into the adjacent room.

Soru patted Hazel's back. "It's going to be so fun traveling throughout Hoenn!"

Hazel merely sighed at his comment.

"You okay, buddy?" Soru asked. For once, a serious expression was painted on his face.

"I don't want to travel through Hoenn," Hazel stated.

A shocked expression appeared on Soru's face and he dropped Torchic. "You what?!"

"Torchic!" His Pokémon screeched, letting out a small burst of flames at Soru's shoes. He yelped in pain before apologizing to his Pokémon.

"I don't think that traveling throughout Hoenn is what is best for me," Hazel said. This time trying to make it not seem as bad. "I really want to travel to faraway places like—Kanto."

Soru gulped in a big breath of relief. "That's a relief! I thought you were trying to say you didn't want to travel with me."

"You'd come along with me?" Hazel asked, astonished at Soru's quick recovery.

Soru nodded. "I just want to travel around. I didn't make any plans about our journey other than traveling together, so what's the use of being picky about where we go together?"

Hazel almost began to tear up but instead gave Soru a hug. "I thought that you were going to flip…"

Suddenly the loud noise of someone clearing their throat could be heard and the two trainers turned towards the door where a man stood. He wore light brown cargo pants and a white sweatshirt with the collar of a green polo showing. His hair was a dark blonde and combed very nicely.

"Dad!" Hazel cried out while running to give her father a hug. "I've missed you!"

"I wouldn't miss your tenth birthday!" Her father announced.

Soru kicked at the floor. "You'd miss every other birthday though," he muttered under his breath.

"Now, what's this about you going to Kanto?" Her dad asked while letting ago of the hug. "Wouldn't it be so much better to travel around in Hoenn where you'll have more support?"

"You want to travel in Kanto?" Professor Birch's voice boomed from behind everyone. He approached the trainers while holding five Poké Balls.

Hazel nodded. She was beginning to think that she didn't make a great choice.

Professor Birch smiled then noticed that Hazel's father was standing next to her. "Oh, hello, Hoku. How's the gym coming along?"

"It's still under construction. Now, let's get to the point," Hoku said rudely before turning back to Hazel. "Why would you want to travel in Kanto?"

"She needs the adventure!" Soru said with a smile. "We've been around Hoenn before because of family trips. There is no trip like a trip into… _mystery_."

"I think it's a great idea, actually," Birch added. "The journey through Kanto would be great for a first time trainer."

"I guess that I'm outvoted here," Hoku mumbled like his daughter would. "I only have one condition!"

"What is it?" Hazel and Soru asked in unison.

Hoku grabbed ahold of Soru's collar and pulled him close. "You watch out for my daughter, and protect her with your life!"

"I promise you, sir!" Soru said with his teeth clenched. Hoku let go of his collar and a stern expression appeared on his face.

"You should meet up with Professor Oak. He'll get you started over there and everything. Do you plan on taking the gym challenge?" Professor Birch said in a jumbled mess.

Hazel put her finger to her lips and looked at Mudkip, who she was still holding her arms. "Do you want to take on the gym challenge with me, Mudkip?"

"Mudkip!" It cried out happily.

"I guess, that is a yes!" Hazel announced.

Professor Birch smiled. "Looks like we have a representative from Hoenn going to Kanto!"

"You better win it for us," Hoku added hastily.

Soru grinned and gave her a one armed hug. "I will make sure that she wins the league in Kanto!" He then looked blankly at the ceiling. "I need to call my mom!" He darted around frantically looking for a phone before Birch handed him one.

"He's such a wild boy," Hoku mumbled to Hazel. "What's wrong with him?"

Hazel giggled because her mother would usually compare Soru to Hoku.

Soru held the phone up to his ear and waited for something to happen, but the answering machine answered. "Hey, mom! It's easier this way since you can't argue. I'm going to Kanto with Hazel, and I want you to know that, like, I love you, and there is no need to miss me! See you whenever Hazel wins big and we're on TV!" He then hung up and took a deep breath of relief.

"Feel better?" Hazel asked.

Soru simply nodded.

Birch grinned and handed Hazel a note. "Take this with you to the boat at the south of town. The captain will take you to the Kanto region where you'll meet Professor Oak."

Hoku grabbed ahold of Hazel and gave her a hug. "Good luck, sweetie…"

"Thanks, daddy… I'll miss you!"

Soru grabbed ahold of Hazel's arm and tugged her away. They made their way for the exit. It was now off to the Kanto Region.

**A/N Sorry for such the delay. I've been very busy this month with school and work. Thea has had hardly any time to write either. Things may start slowing down. I also started playing Hey You, Pikachu. I may disappear.**

**Much gushy love- Don't eat that onion, Pikachu!**


	3. The Companion

The trainers received their tickets and boarded the boat. They were told that it would take a full day, so with nothing to do, they fell asleep. They awoke the next morning, got dressed, and waited to land in Pallet Town.

Soru and Hazel sat in their cabin on their respective beds before a loud horn went off. "Attention all passengers! Attention all passengers! We will be docking in Pallet Town in a few minutes."

"You hear that, Mudkip?" Hazel asked her newly acquired Pokémon while it danced around playfully with Soru's Torchic. "We start our journey anytime now!"

"Mudkip!" Her Pokémon said cheeringly.

"So, after Pallet Town, where do we go?" Soru asked. He was even more eager to just get going on the adventure.

Hazel shrugged. "I have no clue. I'm not very familiar with Kanto."

The ship came to a sudden halt and both trainers grabbed their things. Soru returned Torchic into his ball, and Hazel let Mudkip climb onto her shoulder. They quickly exited the ship and were given instructions on how to get to Professor Oak's lab.

"So, it's on a hill in the middle of the town. We'll also find that it has a windmill," Soru announced. He looked around at the different buildings noticing that it wasn't a very big town. "It shouldn't be _that_ hard to find."

The climate was different in Kanto from Hoenn. It was cooler here with a slight breeze. The duo knew that they would have to get warmer clothing soon.

"Just try to stay close, Soru," Hazel said as though she was trying to instruct a kid with a one track mind.

The duo made their way through the town while looking at the different sights. There weren't many, only a few houses and a building with a windmill near the middle.

"I can't believe that we're in the town that Verde and Azul grew up in!" Soru announced excitedly whenever they passed a store that had television sets playing in the windows. On the screens was a Pokémon battle between one of the town's natives, Verde, and a random challenger at some kind of tournament.

Hazel giggled. "Can we just keep moving? I told you not to get too sidetracked."

"Sorry! It's just so awesome to be in Kanto!" Soru said with his huge smile. He quickly caught up with Hazel and they continued towards the hill.

In little time, they made it to the laboratory. Hazel knocked on the door and they waited for a good minute. Nothing happened.

"Should we just walk in?" Soru questioned. "We do that with Professor Birch?"

Hazel sighed. "That is just so rude!"

Suddenly the door opened and a boy, the same age as Soru and Hazel, smiled at them. He had shaggy, dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. He was fairly muscular for his age. Under a small lab coat, he wore a loose, red shirt and black athletic shorts.

"You aren't Professor Oak, are you?" Soru asked.

The boy shook his head. "No, my name is Stetson. I'm an assistant here at the lab."

"Could we talk with Professor Oak? We've been sent here from the Hoenn Region," Hazel explained.

Stetson smiled. "You guys got here so much faster than I thought you would!" He motioned for them to come in and they followed.

They walked down a long hallway and soon entered another laboratory, similar to Birch's except it seemed a little bit more high-tech. There was a big difference in the fact that there wasn't a single loose paper on the floor like Birch's lab. There was a computer with multiple screens around it. A big machine was placed behind it. There were two stories on the inside. The upper story was a balcony with a huge window.

"Professor, your two guests from Hoenn are here!" Stetson announced whenever they walked into the room.

From the upper balcony, another voice rang back, "I'll be down in just a bit!"

Stetson turned towards Hazel and Soru. "I should warn you, Professor Oak can be odd at times."

Hazel and Soru laughed, knowing that their own professor was very odd.

The professor ran down a flight of stairs in a hurry to meet up with the three kids. He wore a red polo and grey cargo pants under a lab jacket. "Hi! I'm Professor Oak!"

Soru stood up straight. "My name is Soru and this is my best friend in the whole world, Hazel." He motioned towards Hazel.

"Say hi, Mudkip," Hazel said. She picked up Mudkip and held him in her arms.

"Mudkip!" Her Pokémon called out happily.

Oak put his hand on Mudkip's head. "Well, I heard from Professor Birch that you'd like to take on the Indigo League. He suggested that I gave you a Pokédex, but I'm not sure."

"What's a Pokédex?" Soru asked before Hazel could. He usually asked the questions before her without knowing it. This kind of made Hazel feel better about not knowing what things were.

"A Pokédex is a Pokémon Encyclopedia that gives information about all of the Pokémon species in the world!" Stetson said with enthusiasm in his voice. "Well, at least the ones with recorded data."

Professor Oak nodded then sighed. "You see, I've entrusted many trainers that have showed great skill and potential with a Pokédex to help them on their journey and with my studies. Usually, since you're a beginning trainer, I'd give you one. But, you're also from the Hoenn region and this is the first time I've met you. How do I know that you'd be qualified for a Pokédex?"

"A Pokédex could be really helpful… How can we prove that you're worth a Pokédex?" Soru whispered to Hazel.

"Worth?" Hazel snapped.

Soru flinched. "Sorry… I don't know how else to word it."

"I have an idea," Stetson said. "How about we try a battle? Me against you in a simple one on one battle."

Professor Oak nodded. "I don't think that I could've come up with a better idea myself."

Hazel looked at Stetson with a blank expression then clenched her fist and grinned. "Let's do it! You ready, Mudkip?"

Mudkip struck a fighting pose. "Mudkip!"

Everyone moved to the outside where they found a small clearing where they could battle.

"I believe in you Mudkip!" Hazel cheered. "What moves does Mudkip even know?" She mumbled to herself.

"C'mon out, Squirtle!" Stetson called. He threw a Poké Ball into the air and a small blue Pokémon with a brown shell appeared. It looked around before backing up and attempting to hide behind Stetson's leg.

Soru sat on the ground and folded his arms. "Are you sure that you can battle with that little thing?"

"Squirtle was the first Pokémon I hatched, and I've been given the chance to raise it. This will be its first battle since birth," Stetson explained.

"You're giving me a new Pokémon to challenge?" Hazel asked, kind of angered at the fact that she was being judged by a battle with someone who wasn't very experienced.

Professor Oak nodded. "I bet that Mudkip has had no experience either so it would be good for the both of you."

"Fair point…" Hazel mumbled.

Stetson bent over and pulled Squirtle from his leg. "You can do it! We'll just do our best!"

"Sq-Squirtle…" His Pokémon said with fear as he put it back down.

"We'll begin! Mudkip, use your Water Gun!" Hazel ordered. Mudkip nodded and jumped into the air, it sucked in a deep amount of air and blew out as hard as it could. Nothing happened.

"What? A water-type that can't use water-type attacks?" Professor Oak said quietly. "How interesting…"

"Hazel! You've got to find a way out of this! I don't think that Mudkip is experienced enough to use Water Gun!" Soru informed Hazel from the sidelines.

Stetson sighed. "That's unfortunate, but it's definitely our chance. Use your Tackle, Squirtle," Stetson told his shy Pokémon. Squirtle began to run slowly for Mudkip before slightly ramming its body into the Mud Fish Pokémon. Mudkip fell over but immediately stood back up.

"Since Water Gun didn't work, let's try your own Tackle," Hazel commanded with enthusiasm. Mudkip shot towards Squirtle and knocked it onto its back.

"You okay, Squirtle?" Stetson asked his Pokémon while it struggled to get back up.

Mudkip suddenly slammed both of its front feet into the ground and pulled them to throw two small clumps of dirt at Squirtle. They both connected and sent Squirtle sliding across the field. Squirtle slid into Stetson where it sat up and wiped dirt off of its shell.

"That was an awesome Mud-Slap!" Soru yelled happily.

"So, you know a Mud-Slap? This one is going to be hard if you continue with attacks like that," Stetson noted. "I guess that it's time to test out our own attack! Squirtle, Muddy Water!"

"No way!" Soru yelled.

Squirtle stood up and brown, dirty water appeared under its feet. It shot into the air, the water following. Squirtle came down crashing onto Mudkip and both Pokémon were quickly engulfed in water.

"Mudkip!" Hazel shrieked.

Stetson sighed. "Looks like Squirtle doesn't have it down just yet."

The water was quickly absorbed back into the ground and both Pokémon lay limp on the ground. Hazel moved forward to pick up her Mudkip but Mudkip twitched and began to move by itself. Squirtle followed and both Pokémon staggered, trying to stand back up and continue fighting.

"You don't have to continue, if you don't want, Squirtle!" Stetson insisted.

Squirtle looked back at him and shook its head. "Squirtle!"

"Mudkip!" Hazel's Pokémon cried.

"Tackle now!" Both trainers called out. Both of the Pokémon bounded towards each other and smacked into one another. They fell back and the battle was over.

"I can officially rule this match a draw!" Professor Oak announced. He rose one arm and moved towards the middle of their pseudo battlefield.

Hazel picked up Mudkip and gave it a hug. "You did a great job for your first battle, Mudkip."

"Mudkip," it cooed back weakly.

Stetson lifted his Poké Ball and let the red beam absorb his Pokémon. "We'll just keep working on it."

Professor Oak reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue, rectangular object. "Professor Birch spoke well of you. It would be rude for me to not give you a Pokédex."

"Why'd you test me with a battle then?" Hazel asked.

"I wanted to see how determined you were to get your foot out there. Seeing that you were willing to battle for a Pokédex, it proved a lot," Professor Oak explained. He handed over the Pokédex and smiled at Hazel.

"This is awesome!" Hazel said aloud. She really couldn't make sense of what Oak said, but she went with it.

Professor Oak nodded and looked over the three young trainers. "I have a request. Take Stetson with you."

"What?" The three trainers asked in unison.

"Usually whenever we get guests, Stetson finds himself in a shell and you two seemed to have brought him out of it for awhile," Professor Oak explained. "I think that traveling and seeing the world could be healthy for Stetson."

"Well, I see no problem in it!" Soru proclaimed. "The more traveling partners, the more adventure to share."

"I have to agree, if that's okay with Stetson," Hazel said with a smile.

The group turned towards Stetson, waiting for his answer.

"I… uh… That sounds fine with me!" Stetson agreed.

"Looks like you have yourself a pretty good group here," Professor Oak commented while he watched the three.

**A/N So uh... Just sorry for the really late updates. We are however updating three stories today. Including this one!**


	4. The Cook

"We've been walking for only a few hours! It's already getting dark out," Hazel stated. She looked up at the sky and watched as the sun began to set.

Stetson nodded. "We could set up camp and get a fresh start in the morning." He set down his bag and began to fiddle around inside of it.

Soru and Hazel nodded. They also put down their bags and started to pull out their sleeping bags.

Soru's stomach made and odd noise and he grabbed ahold of it. "Uh oh, looks like I'm hungry!"

"Then we'll just have to eat," Hazel suggested. Each of the trainers stood quiet. "Do you know how to cook?"

"I have no clue. I'd probably just burn the food," Stetson responded. "How about you, Soru?"

Soru shook his head. "I'm excellent whenever it comes to eating the food, not making it."

"Mudkip…" Hazel's Pokémon mumbled. It laid on her shoulder, and it was clear that it was also hungry.

"This isn't good. We could starve," Hazel mumbled. She looked up at her friends in despair. "What are we going to do?"

"No need to freak out just yet. What if we look around for berries and fruits to cook? We can just wing it from there," Stetson explained.

"Knowing my luck, I'll find berries that'll poison us," Soru said jokingly. He then cringed slightly because he wasn't exactly joking.

Stetson laughed. "Whenever I was under the studies of Professor Oak, he taught me a few things about berries. I can pick out the berries that won't poison us. Just grab as many varieties as you can."

Hazel and Soru nodded. "How about we have our Pokémon help us? Their natural abilities should kind of lead them to berries," Hazel suggested.

"Good idea," Stetson replied. He grabbed his Poké Ball and released Squirtle. She looked around and quickly hid herself behind Stetson's leg.

"C'mon out, Torchic!" Soru called. He threw his Poké Ball into the air and his small Pokémon emerged. "We'll go north and see what we find. You guys can go the other two directions!" Soru began to run, Torchic followed.

"He does realize that there are three other directions, right?" Stetson asked.

Hazel shook her head. "I honestly don't know. How about you go west and I'll go east? We came from the south, so that won't be any fun."

Stetson nodded, and with that, Stetson and Squirtle were off on their journey to find berries.

"Let's go, Mudkip," Hazel told her Pokémon. She began walking and found a few trees that she could begin looking for berries in. Ostensibly, there were no berries in the trees and Hazel didn't bother to look into them any deeper if they showed no first signs.

"Mudkip!" Her Pokémon cried out happily. It pointed towards a tree with bright blue berries.

Hazel nodded. "Good job, Mudkip!" She ran over to the tree but realized that there was no way she could climb it.

"Hey, why don't we try your Water Gun again?" She asked Mudkip. Mudkip nodded and took in a deep breath of air before blowing out as hard as he could. Nothing but wind left his mouth.

"Mudkip…" her Pokémon mumbled sadly.

Hazel patted Mudkip's back. "You'll figure it out soon, buddy. Why don't we just go and try Mud-Slap for now?"

"Mud, Mudkip!" He replied, happy that Hazel wasn't angered. He quickly dug his front legs into the ground and threw what he could pick up at the berries. The mud smashed against some of the berries and a few leaves and berries fell down.

"Awesome!" Hazel said. She picked up some of the fallen berries and put them into her bag. "We can always just look for more too!"

"Bzz!" Something screeched from the tree. Hazel and Mudkip looked up and locked eyes with none other than a giant, bee-like Pokémon.

"W-what is that?" She pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon. It has three poisonous stingers on its forelegs and its tail. They are used to jab its enemy repeatedly. Warning: May appear in swarms," the Pokédex read.

"W-what?!" Hazel screeched. More Beedrill flew from the tree, all of them very angry.

Hazel grabbed ahold of Mudkip. "Let's get out of here!" She began to run from the Beedrill, who kept up and slowly gained on her.

"We can't really fight back," Hazel thought aloud. "What do we do?" She looked around for anything to climb on or just something to aid her in getting away.

"Mudkip!" Her Pokémon cried out with a stern expression on his face.

"Y-you want to fight?" Hazel questioned with a dumbfound expression on her face.

Mudkip nodded and leapt out of her arms. It quickly jabbed its arms into the ground and threw what it could pick up at a few Beedrill. Some were knocked back but a lot continued on flying towards Mudkip.

"Run!" Hazel screamed before she grabbed ahold of Mudkip and continued running. Eventually she got out of the trees but the Beedrill did not stop. It came to a point where there was no more grass, only water.

"It's a waterfall," Hazel stated while she watched the water crash at the bottom of the steep cliff.

"Mud-Mudkip!" Her Pokémon cried, pointing towards the still chasing, Beedrill.

Hazel nodded. "Here goes nothing!" She jumped off of the cliff and into the waterfall. She fell and crashed into the bottom. Luckily, she wasn't hurt, only left unconscious and floating down the river. The Beedrill lost complete sight of the trainer and Pokémon.

Stetson looked down at Squirtle who watched her surroundings carefully. "You don't have to be scared of everything, Squirtle. The world is a beautiful place. Trust me."

"Squirt-Squirtle," she cooed back quietly. She picked up a leaf that had fallen to the ground and fiddled around with it.

Stetson laughed then looked up at the trees for any berries. He had picked the right spot; berries were everywhere.

"We can't eat all of these because some aren't human friendly, but I think we'll pick some from each," Stetson informed Squirtle. He lifted Squirtle into the air and she began picking berries from a tree. They got to one tree and Squirtle seemed to be having fun until a small green Pokémon popped out.

"Rara," it cried out innocently. It worked its way down the tree, inching down its in a worming way.

Squirtle freaked out and fell back onto Stetson's face. She then fell to the ground onto her back while Stetson grabbed at his face in anguish.

"Squirtle! It was only a Caterpie," Stetson said, a little bit angered but he couldn't stay that way. He picked up Squirtle and motioned towards Caterpie. "It meant no harm. Caterpie are usually friendly."

"Squirtle?" His Pokémon wondered while inching towards the green Pokémon.

_This is the kind of thing you need, Squirtle. We both need this_, Stetson thought. He continued picking at the berries while Squirtle played with Caterpie.

The three of them made their way down a hill, picking at berries before Caterpie had to make its leave.

"Rara," Caterpie said to Squirtle before turning to leave.

"Squirt-Squirtle!" Stetson's Pokémon cried out while he watched his newly gained friend leave.

Stetson leaned over and pet Squirtle. "I bet that one day you'll see Caterpie again." He smiled at his Pokémon before he stood up and looked at his surroundings. He noticed that in the river that was close to him, something was afloat. He ran over to the river and caught sight of the unconscious Hazel.

"Hazel!" He yelled out, but there was no response. He looked around for anything to grab ahold of Hazel but there was nothing.

"Squirtle," his Pokémon said softly. It looked up at Stetson seriously.

Stetson nodded. "You can do it, Squirtle!"

Squirtle leapt into the water and swam over to Hazel. Her Mudkip was still conscious, so there was more hope. "Squirtle-Squirt!" Squirtle told Mudkip, who understood.

"Mudkip!" Hazel's Pokémon agreed. He jumped into the water and both Pokémon took hold of Hazel. They moved towards the shore, and Stetson helped pull her back onto dry land.

He felt her neck to check for a pulse; there was one. "Good, she's still alive. That could've been bad." He looked at the two Pokémon and gave them both pats on the heads. "She's safe, thanks to you two!" He stood up and picked up Hazel. He threw her onto his back and began to walk. Squirtle and Mudkip walked behind him just incase she fell.

"Well, this sucks!" Sore screamed. He came to an empty field. There were no trees, no Pokémon, no anything.

"Torchic!" His Pokémon responded, kicking the ground.

Sore looked at Torchic and grinned. "Do you think that you can sniff out any berries?"

Torchic began to sniff around a little bit. "Torchic!" He began to run towards a few small trees. Soru followed. They eventually ran into a small lake.

"Looks like you found a lake. It's too bad that we're not looking for water though," Sore said with a disappointed look on his face.

Suddenly, something splashed in the water. Torchic got ready to battle. It stood in front of Soru.

_Uh oh. Both myself and Torchic aren't ready for a battle! _Soru thought. He clenched his fists.

"Karp!" The creature that was splashing about called. It splashed out of the water and smacked Torchic in the face with its tail. Torchic flew and smacked Soru in the stomach. Both trainer and Pokémon fell hard on the ground.

Sore looked up and noticed the Pokémon splashing around angrily.

"Magikarp!" It warned.

"Ah!" Sore screamed. He picked up Torchic and began to run back to the campsite.

Stetson finally made it to the campsite. He put down Hazel who slightly woke up. She looked around.

"W-what happened?" She asked.

Stetson laughed. "I found you floating in a river. What happened?"

"We were attacked by Beedrill. I guess that it's good that we escaped," Hazel explained. "If found a few berries though!" She grabbed into her pockets and pulled the berries out.

Stetson grabbed them. "Awesome. You found Oran Berries. Those will be good for the Pokémon. I found a few for us and some for the Pokémon."

"Ah!" Someone cried from afar. The duo looked over and noticed Soru running back. He reached the group and heaved. "I… was attacked…"

"Oh my, are you okay?" Hazel asked. She stood up and patted her friends back.

"Yeah, I barely escaped! It was scary though," Soru claimed.

"What did you get attacked by?" Stetson asked. "Was it a pack of Pinsir?"

"Or maybe some Beedrill?" Hazel added.

Sore thought for awhile and looked at Torchic. "It was um…" He honestly didn't know. "Yes!"

"Oh, um… well then!" Hazel laughed. "Did you find any berries?"

"Uh…" Soru murmured.

Hazel frowned. "That means no…"

"I guess that means that you cook! Both Hazel and I found berries. Since you didn't, then you'll just have to cook," Stetson declared.

"Aw!" Soru whined.

"At least try," Hazel encouraged.

With that, Soru was given a few pots and pans to work with. He had Torchic start a fire so he could cook. He mixed a few of the designated berries that Stetson gave him to mold a soup together. Whenever he felt like they were cooked to their best, he poured them into bowls.

"Supper is ready," he announced with a sad look on his face. "You better not make fun of me if it sucks."

Hazel and Stetson took a sip of the soup and both smiled.

"It's fantastic~!" Hazel said happily.

Stetson nodded. "Yeah, it is!" He agreed.

Soru took a big gulp of it. "Oh my! That's fantastic! I did an awesome job!"

He handed down three small cups for the Pokémon to drink out of. They each did. The expressions on their faces were that of happy Pokémon.

"I thought you said that you didn't know how to cook?" Stetson teased.

"I don't!" Soru responded with a smile.

Hazel took more spoonfuls. "Maybe you do! Sometimes it just comes naturally."

"If that's the case, then you'll be the official cook, eh?" Stetson suggested.

Soru nodded and picked up Torchic and hugged him. "Awesome! I gladly accept that duty!"

The group got their fill of the awesome food that Soru made and set up their sleeping gear. Each of the trainers slept peacefully, their bellies full of delicious food.

**A/N This story is coming along a lot slower than I had hoped. I know that I'll get it done though! I'm graduating at semester, so I'll have a lot more time to write.**

**Q1) So far, who is your favorite character in this story?**

**Q2) Do you think that Soru is hiding a form of fear for Pokemon?**

**Q3) What Pokemon do you think would fit the three trainers if they were to catch any?**


	5. The Dream

"Hey, guys! Look!" Soru called out. He pointed afar at bright lights coming from a city. The sun was now rising and the city looked beautiful.

"Check that out!" Hazel said in awe.

Stetson nodded. "Viridian City!"

The three entered the city and followed their map towards the middle of the city. They found a giant building with a Poké Ball emblem on top of it.

"So, that's a Pokémon Center?" Soru asked. He looked at the beautiful sight. "How wonderful!"

"We should go and get checked in. We should probably stay here for today then make our way through Viridian Forest tomorrow," Stetson suggested.

Hazel and Soru nodded. They walked into the Pokémon Center and a woman wearing a nurse's uniform stood at a counter near the middle of the lobby.

"Hello. How can I help you?" The lady asked.

Soru grinned. "We're looking for a place to rest up a bit! We heard that we could do it here."

"You came to the right place. Would you mind me asking, do you three happen to be Hazel, Soru, and Stetson?" She asked. She flipped through a few papers on her desk.

"Yeah. How did you know?" Hazel asked.

"Professor Oak called and told me that whenever you made it to call him. He wanted to make sure that you'd be okay," she explained. "I am Nurse Joy by the way."

"It's nice to meet you," Stetson replied. He pointed over to a few computer monitors. "Do we just use those?"

Nurse Joy nodded and the three walked over to the computers. Stetson dialed in the number and they waited for someone to pick up.

Professor Oak's voice rang over the phone. "Hello? Is that you, Stetson?"

The computer monitor lit up, and Professor Oak was revealed.

"It's good to see that you three are safe. I was getting a bit worried," Professor Oak explained.

"Well, we're safe," Hazel said with a smile. She was beginning to think that all of the professors were quirky.

Professor Oak nodded. "That's not the only thing though. Soru, have you told your mom that you were leaving?"

Soru's expression went blank. He began to sweat bullets.

"M-my mom?" He fell to his knees. "Crap! I totally forgot! She's probably-"

"Hey!" Hazel said over Soru while he let a word slip that she didn't approve of.

"Bricks…" Soru finished.

"You should probably give her a call. She's already caused a few of my phones to blow up by how many times she's called," Professor Oak said with a smile. "I have to go now, but it's good to see you all safe."

The computer monitor went blank and Soru wiped his forehead.

"My mom is going to kill me!" He announced.

Stetson handed out the phone. "Try giving her a call."

Soru grabbed ahold of the phone and punched in his mother's number. Within seven seconds, the computer screen turned on and Soru's mom was staring at the trainers.

"Where are you?!" She asked angrily. She had her face covered in with a green avocado mask. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a towel that was wrapped around her head. She also wore a bright white robe.

"I'm in Viridian City," Soru told his mom.

"Why did you leave without telling me?" She asked.

Soru put his finger to his lip. "I… uh…"

Before he could answer, she had more things to say. "I want you back here right away! You won't be regions away from me just yet!"

"But mom-" Soru tried.

"No buts! Now get your butt back here!" She demanded.

Stetson popped his head around Soru and smiled. "I'm sorry, but if I may. The closest place that could bring him home is a place in Viridian where he would have to fly on a small plane."

"Small plane? Like, ones that are prone to being blown out of the sky?" Soru's mother asked. She had a worried look on her face.

Stetson nodded. "Yeah, other than that. We'd have to walk all the way back to Pallet Town where there is the chance of being attacked by those Beedrill again."

Soru smiled. "Yeah! Or even a sea monster!"

"A sea monster?" His mom asked with a worried expression on her face. She fainted.

"Are you okay?!" Stetson asked with worry.

Soru laughed then hung up. "That was awesome!"

"Is she going to be alright?" Stetson asked again.

"Yeah, she does that sometimes. Thanks for that by the way. That was pretty crafty," Soru complimented.

"So, it looks like we can continue our journey?" Hazel asked.

The two nodded, and the three laughed.

"I have an idea," Stetson said suddenly.

He had caught the other two's attention, but they didn't say anything, just stared at him blankly.

"What if we have a battle?" Stetson asked.

Soru shook his head. "No thank you! I'm not feeling up to battling!"

"Not you – Hazel," Stetson said. He felt like Soru was a bit suspicious.

Soru sighed out of relief. "Oh, well then. What does that leave me too?"

"You could watch us," Hazel suggested. "But, why the sudden battle?"

"I figured that with a lot of training, and a lot of experience with other Pokémon, Mudkip can learn Water Gun and Squirtle could warm up to the outside world better," Stetson explained. "Squirtle has already battled against Mudkip, so then maybe he'll be a bit more open this time."

"If you two are going to battle, then you could always use the small arena in the back of the Pokémon Center," Nurse Joy butted in.

The three trainers nodded and made their way to the back. Soru suddenly stopped because a television screen caught his eye. In the screen was a Pokémon flying through the air with fire circling around it. It twisted and the fire exploded, causing it to sparkle and make the Pokémon look beautiful.

"That was a wonderful performance by Kellin and his trusty Charizard!" An announcer screamed from the television. "Kellin is almost guaranteed a spot in the next round with that."

"You guys go ahead I'm going to keep watching this," Soru told the other two quietly. His eyes didn't leave the screen. They didn't hear anything. They just kept walking. Soru sat down in a nearby chair and kept watching as more people performed with their Pokémon.

Stetson and Hazel walked out of the sliding doors of the Pokémon Center and moved onto a small battlefield. Hazel recognized the style of the battlefield. It was modeled after the league battlefields that people in the finals have to battle on. Her heart pumped heavily at the thought of battling on the biggest stage there was.

"Are you ready for our battle?" Stetson asked. He was already on his side of the battlefield while Hazel was still looking at everything.

Hazel nodded and ran to her spot. Mudkip jumped off of her shoulder and prepared to battle.

"C'mon out, Squirtle!" Stetson called out. He threw his Poké Ball lightly into the air and Squirtle appeared. Whenever she took sight of Hazel and Mudkip, she shifted back and ran towards Stetson's legs. Stetson grabbed ahold of her and put her back on the battlefield.

"Poor Squirtle," Hazel mumbled.

"I know that you can do this. It's Hazel and Mudkip, just like last time. You don't have to be nervous around them," Stetson encouraged.

Squirtle nodded and waddled onto the battlefield. It struck a pose to signal that it was ready to fight.

"Squirtle, use your Muddy Water!" Stetson ordered.

Squirtle put its hands on the ground and dark brown water formed. The water lifted Squirtle into the air and towered over Mudkip.

_They're using Muddy Water from the get go? I know that he isn't exactly the greatest with it yet_, Hazel thought.

"Use Mud-Slap at the middle of the tide!" Hazel called.

Mudkip dug its paws into the ground and threw the mud at the middle of the tide. Muddy Water looked powerful, but Squirtle hadn't exactly mastered it yet. The tide broke and Squirtle fell to the ground. She withdrew into her shell and smacked against the ground.

"Squirtle!" Stetson cried out.

"Mudkip, I believe in you! Try your Water Gun!" Hazel called out.

Before Squirtle could come out of its shell, Mudkip opened his mouth and attempted his Water Gun. Nothing came out of his mouth though.

"Still doesn't have Water Gun down?" Stetson asked. "Looks like we have to keep trying. Squirtle, use Bubble!"

Squirtle popped out of its shell and let loose multiple bubbles from his mouth. The bubbles smacked into Mudkip, and he fell back.

Soru's eyes couldn't leave the screen. He was too interested in the contest.

A giant black bird flew through the air. It suddenly multiplied and formed a circle. Each of the different multiplied forms darted for the middle and smacked into the other. It caused a small explosion and let sparkles rain down to the stadium.

"That was awesome!" Soru cheered, even though no one could hear him at the contest. Nurse Joy laughed at him quietly.

"That was just Jordan and his Staraptor! I can say that with that performance, I see good things in store for them!" The MC announced.

Three people stood up behind three different podiums. The first one had nicely slicked back, black hair. He wore a red suit with golden buttons. The middle one was short and balding. He had squinted eyes and a big smile. His suit was black and he had on a nice blue tie. The third looked just like the Nurse Joy that stood only a few feet away from Soru. Soru looked at Nurse Joy funny.

"What's up with that? You were on TV?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No, that is one of my relatives. You'll understand as your journey continues."

Soru shrugged then turned to keep watching the contest. The judges had already gave their review of the whole competition thus far. There would be a five minute intermission.

Soru grabbed ahold of his Poké Ball and pressed the button in the middle. Torchic appeared and shook its head.

"Hey, buddy! You should check this out! It's a Pokémon Contest!" Soru said enthusiastically. He grabbed ahold of Torchic and held onto him tight. They waited for it to start up again.

After a few commercials and a quick rundown of all the contestants, the judges began to pick the next people who would move on. Soru was on the edge of his seat, biting his finger, hoping that his favorites would get picked. On the screen, it showed eight different cards. The cards flipped and revealed the people going on to the next round. Soru's favorites had made it.

"Yes!" He squealed.

Nurse Joy laughed silently. "I don't think that I should tell him that this is a rerun and I could tell him who wins. I'll let him have his fun."

"Get back up, and try Tackle!" Hazel called out. She had tried to plan out her attacks for almost any scenario whenever going against Stetson.

"Knock him back with Bubble!" Stetson ordered.

Mudkip charged towards Squirtle, ready to get revenge for Squirtle's last attack. Squirtle let more bubbles emerge from his mouth. The bubbles raced for Mudkip. Mudkip smacked right into them, but forced himself to keep going. He smacked into Squirtle and sent him into the air.

"Finish this with Mud-Slap!" Hazel told Mudkip.

Before Squirtle could fly to far, Mudkip dug his arm into the ground and threw the mud that he could dig up at Squirtle. The mud pounded against Squirtle and knocked him into the ground.

"Squirtle!" Stetson cried out. He ran out into the field and grabbed ahold of his downed Pokémon. Squirtle was unable to continue the battle.

"I'm sorry!" Hazel cried out. She ran into the battlefield towards Stetson. Mudkip followed.

"It'll be okay. Squirtle needs battles like this," Stetson told her. He pulled out his Poké Ball and the red stream absorbed his Pokémon.

Hazel turned around. "So, what did you think about the battle, Soru?" She looked for Soru but didn't see him anywhere.

"I guess that he wandered off," Stetson suggested.

The two trainers walked back into the Pokémon Center and made their way down the hallway. Soru was still in the lobby, watching the Pokémon Contest.

"Soru, why didn't you watch our battle?" Hazel asked angrily.

Soru didn't answer. He only kept watching the contest. Deep in his heart, he had fallen in love with the concept of being on stage. He finally found what he would love to do, contests.

**A/N Ha! Did you notice that! We've updated more than once in a week twice! I'm tired... I don't want to embarrass myself by writing while I'm tired. Goodbye...**


	6. The Capture

The three trainers woke up early and left the Pokémon Center. All three had goals on their mind: Hazel to teach Mudkip Water Gun, Stetson to metaphorically get Squirtle out of its shell, and Soru to get Torchic to do pretty attacks from now on.

They entered Viridian Forest, and the scene instantly set the mood. The forest was dark and cold. Every tree in the forest was dark colored. Dark brown tree barks and dark brown leaves filled the area. Pokémon chanting could be heard throughout the whole forest.

"We're gonna die!" Soru screeched. He fell to his knees and began to pray. "Arceus, please don't let me die right now! Not here! I always wanted to die surrounded by burgers. Not vegetable burgers or turkey burgers, but the kind of burgers that pickles and ketchup go great with…"

"Pick yourself up," Hazel murmured. "You're embarrassing me."

"Mudkip…" Her Pokémon cooed.

"I understand him. It is kind of a scary setting," Stetson laughed.

Soru picked himself and dusted off his knees. "Alright then! Let's do this!"

The three made their way deeper into the forest until they came to a sign that told them they were a fourth of a way there.

"How long have we been walking?" Hazel asked.

Stetson checked the time and sighed. "It's been about three hours now. If we continue all day then we could make it by nightfall."

"I'm getting hungry though," Hazel murmured like she always does. She looked at Soru with puppy dog eyes.

"I'll make something if that's what you'd all like! You just set up the cutlery for you and the Pokémon, and I'll get too the cookin'," Soru said with his goofy smile.

Hazel and Stetson pulled out the plates and bowls for the Pokémon while Soru began to mix a few berries together to make a delicious dish. He would usually just put things together to find the perfect smell. While they waited, Torchic and Mudkip played and Squirtle watched.

"Why don't you join them, Squirtle?" Stetson suggested to his shy Pokémon.

"Squirt, Squirtle," Squirtle replied. He was shaking so much from nervousness that rattling could be heard from within his shell.

Torchic and Mudkip ran over to Squirtle to invite him to play but he quickly withdrew into his shell.

"Mudkip?" Mudkip asked.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle snapped.

Torchic pecked at the top of Squirtle's shell slightly. Nothing happened.

"Food is ready, guys," Soru called. He put down three bowls of Pokémon food in front of the Pokémon.

"Squirt?" Squirtle wondered. He popped out of his shell and began to eat the food.

Stetson smiled. "Looks like your food is able to get Squirtle out of his shell." He took a bite of his food.

"Kind of wish that there were other things that could bring him out of his shell," Hazel said with a smile.

The three trainers continued eating in silence until a rustling from a few bushes was heard. The group looked over and noticed three Pokémon walking near them. They were all the same Pokémon, green with a light green bulb on their back.

"What are those?" Soru asked.

"Bulbasaur," Stetson replied.

"Bulbasaur?" Hazel wondered while she lifted up her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon. Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed grows progressively larger," the Pokédex announced in a female voice.

"They're kind of cute," Hazel said with a smile.

The Bulbasaur made their way over to the Pokémon's food and sniffed at it. Squirtle quickly withdrew back into his shell.

"Mudkip?" Mudkip asked happily. The Bulbasaur that he was talking to nodded. "Mudkip!" He replied, handing over one of the pieces of PokéFood.

A vine came out of Bulbasaur's side and it grabbed ahold of the food. It stuck the food in its mouth and ate the food.

"Bulbasaur!" It cried out happily.

"I guess that you have another fan, Soru," Hazel told her friend. "Did you make any more food so we could share?"

"Of course I did!" Soru ran over to the pot of food and scooped up three more batches. He dropped the bowls down near the Bulbasaur and they began to eat.

"Let's go ahead and finish up our food and get ready to leave," Stetson suggested.

The other two trainers nodded and they started to finish up their food. Soru smiled at Bulbasaur who glared back.

"Bulbasaur?" He wondered.

"Bulbasaur!" The Pokémon cried out.

Suddenly, leaves flew from all directions. Something tackled down the three trainers and a loud rustling noise could be heard. Whenever Hazel stood up, more Bulbasaur were around their campsite. They were stealing everything that they had.

"Bulbasaur!" The Bulbasaur that received a piece of PokéFood from Mudkip snapped before disappearing into the trees with the others.

"What the?" Soru questioned. He stood up and looked around. "They took everything!"

"We've gotta go and get them," Stetson declared. He grabbed Squirtle. "Let's go!"

The three trainers took off in the direction that Bulbasaur had ran. It wasn't long before they came across a giant tree with the Bulbasaur surrounding it. They were looking through the trainers bags.

One Bulbasaur was digging in Soru's red backpack. It stuck its head in and immediately withdrew.

"Bulbasaur!" It cried out angrily.

"What do you think that was about?" Hazel asked.

"That reminds me! I need to do my laundry whenever we get to Pewter," Soru said with his goofy smile.

"So, how do you want to approach this? We're clearly outnumbered," Stetson stated.

"What if we tried to scare them away?" Hazel suggested.

"How do you suggest we do that?" Stetson asked.

"We can use Torchic!" Soru exclaimed.

After going over a plan for about three minutes, the three trainers prepared to get their belongings back.

"Torchic, use Ember into the sky," Soru told his Pokémon quietly.

Torchic opened his mouth and released small specks of flames. The flames rained down lightly on the Bulbasaur, who began to freak out slightly.

"Being a grass-type, they should try to run from any form of fire," Stetson recapped.

The Bulbasaur took off. Most of them left the area, afraid of being attacked.

"It worked! And it was simple!" Hazel praised. She ran out into the field and grabbed her bag and any of her belongings that were dragged out.

"Alright, Squirtle. I need you to use Water Gun into the air to put out any potential fires," Stetson told his Pokémon.

Squirtle nodded and blew water into the air. It rained down lightly and cooled off anything that was still at a slight blaze.

Soru ran in and grabbed what he had. He pulled the rest of the food out of his bag and placed it into the biggest bowl you had.

"You're giving them the food?" Stetson asked.

"Sure! I mean, maybe they just need to find things to provide for themselves. You never know," Soru replied.

"We should get going. If we find the trail then we can just follow it. Luckily, the Bulbasaur went in the opposite direction of the trail," Stetson said.

With that the group got back on their way to Pewter, their stomachs full of Soru's great cooking. It didn't take long before they found the trail and began to follow it.

"I'm glad that we didn't really hurt any of the Bulbasaur," Hazel said with a smile.

Soru nodded. "I would've felt really bad."

"Bulbasaur!" Something called.

The trainers turned and locked eyes with the Bulbasaur that Mudkip had shared its food with.

"It looks like it followed us," Stetson noted. "Be prepared for any of their tricks again."

"Bulba-Bulbasaur!" It called out, as though it was trying to speak with Hazel.

"I think that it may want to come along with us," Soru suggested.

Hazel walked forward and held out her hand. "Do you want to come with us, Bulbasaur?"

Bulbasaur timidly let a vine come from its bulb. The vine wrapped around Hazel's hand and shook it softly.

"That's awesome!" Soru squealed.

Bulbasaur grinned. "Bulbasaur!"

"What was that?" Stetson asked.

"Alright, if that's how you want it," Hazel replied to Bulbasaur. She backed up a little bit and Mudkip jumped off of her shoulder.

"What did it say?" Stetson questioned.

"It wants a battle first," Hazel replied. "Mudkip, use your Tackle!"

Mudkip jumped into the air and crashed into Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur skid across the dirt path but kept its ground. It let loose two vines from its side. The vines grabbed ahold of Mudkip and tossed him into the air.

"No, Mudkip! Try your Water Gun!" Hazel ordered.

Mudkip opened his mouth but nothing happened. He still didn't have Water Gun down.

Bulbasaur charged forward. It tackled into Mudkip before Mudkip could hit the ground. Mudkip flew and smacked into a tree.

"Mudkip!" Hazel cried out.

Mudkip stood up slowly from the hard hit and it growled at Bulbasaur.

"Try a Mud-Slap!" Hazel ordered.

Mudkip quickly dug his front legs into the ground and flung the mud that he dug up at Bulbasaur. The mud smacked Bulbasaur in the face, blinding it temporarily.

"Now Tackle attack!" Hazel called.

Mudkip lunged forward and collided with Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur fell back and couldn't struggled to get back up.

"Go, Poké Ball!" Hazel yelled while she threw one of her empty Poké Balls at Bulbasaur.

The ball connected and Bulbasaur was absorbed into it. The ball rocked bath and forth while the trainers anticipated what would happen next. Suddenly, Bulbasaur popped out of the Poké Ball. The Poké Ball flew back to Hazel's hand.

"What the-" Soru started.

"Not all Poké Balls will always capture a Pokémon. You may have to do a little bit better," Stetson explained.

Bulbasaur flailed around blindly. It used its vines to wipe away most of the mud.

"Use Mud-Slap at the ground!" Hazel told Mudkip.

Mudkip smacked the mud against the ground and was thrown forward by the force.

"Diving Tackle attack!" Hazel called dramatically.

Mudkip tucked his arms in and dove for Bulbasaur. Before Bulbasaur could respond, Mudkip crashed into it. Both Pokémon shifted back and fell to the ground.

"Go, Poké Ball!" Hazel said once more while she threw the ball again.

It connected with Bulbasaur and absorbed it once more. The ball rocked and in little time, let out a soft _ding._

"I did it!" Hazel cheered. She ran out and grabbed her Poké Ball and Mudkip. "We did it!"

"That's awesome!" Soru yelled out happily.

"That's only the beginning!" Hazel responded. "There are many more Pokémon to capture out there!"

**A/N Looks like Hazel caught her first Pokemon! We will be adding along a new traveling partner soon! So, watch out for that!**

**Q1) How do you think Hazel's match with Brock will end up?**


	7. The Picture

People never said that going through Viridian Forest would be easy. After capturing Bulbasaur, and seeing a plethora of bug-type Pokémon, the trainers had thought that they saw it all. Little did they know, they would capture more sights not normal throughout the forest.

The three trainers walked on the path through Viridian Forest. Soru suddenly stopped and sat down.

"Bleh! How much more do we have to walk?!" He whined.

Stetson laughed. "We have about halfway done. If we continue all day, we can be there by nightfall."

"My feet hurt, though," Soru complained.

Hazel nodded. "It would be nice to take a break for awhile."

The three trainers set up a small camp so they could rest for a bit. Soru worked on making some new food items for the Pokémon. Hazel played with Bulbasaur and Mudkip while Stetson checked his stock of items and made sure that they could be ready for anything. Torchic and Squirtle played with each other.

"Finally looks like Squirtle is opening up," Stetson told Hazel.

"That and you can also consider the fact that Torchic is a lot like Soru. They are both unafraid to just talk to anyone," Hazel explained.

Squirtle stopped suddenly and looked into the distance. A figure was making their way towards the group. The figure was revealed to be a girl around the same age as the three trainers. She had mouse brown, short hair and green eyes. She wore a lavender t-shirt and blue jeans. Around her waist was a grey jacket tied into a not, and around her neck was a strap that hooked onto a camera.

She stopped and looked at the group and smiled. Hazel and Stetson were quiet. They had no desire of really making any friends. There had been many other trainers along the path. They would just go their way without any real conversation. But this girl seemed different, and Soru could sense it.

"How's it going?" Soru asked.

"Pretty good. Have you all, by chance, seen a wild Charmander around these parts?" She asked.

"I don't believe so. Are you trying to capture one?" Hazel replied.

"I guess that you can say that. I'm actually trying to 'capture' it on camera. I've heard about a rogue Charmander that lives in Viridian Forest," she explained.

"That's odd. A wild Charmander in a forest is a very rare find," Stetson noted.

"That's why I'd like to get a picture of it. I've been roaming around Viridian Forest for awhile now," she told them.

"How about you take a break! We're taking a break, and I'm about to brew up some food, if you'd like some!" Soru offered.

"I guess that I can do that," she said. She sat down on the ground and pulled out a Poké Ball. She pressed the button and a blue and yellow Pokémon emerged. "Say hi, Cyndaquil."

"Cyndaquil!" It said happily.

Hazel pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse Pokémon. Cyndaquil protects itself by flaring up the flames on its back. The flames are vigorous if the Pokémon is angry. However, if it is tired, the flames sputter fitfully with incomplete combustion."

"My name is Elise," Elise said.

"I'm Hazel. This is Soru and Stetson. We're heading towards Pewter for a gym battle," Hazel explained.

Soru walked up to Elise and handed her a plate of some of the food that he made. He put down a bowl in front of Cyndaquil.

"You two should try it. I've been doing good so far," Soru said with a smile.

Cyndaquil sniffed the food and looked away from it.

"I'm sorry. Cyndaquil usually won't try other foods," Elise explained. She took a bite of food from her plate and smiled. "This is fantastic!" She turned to Cyndaquil. "You should really try it!"

Cyndaquil grabbed one of the pieces of food and took a bite. It stood still for awhile, chewing the food before it began to grab more and gulp it down.

"I guess that he likes it," Elise laughed.

The trainers and Pokémon all ate their food and prepared to pack their stuff up again.

"So, Mudkip and Bulbasaur are yours, Hazel?" Elise asked.

Hazel nodded. Elise bent down and took a few pictures of both the Pokémon. She pointed her camera at Squirtle, and he quickly withdrew into his shell. Torchic stepped in front of Squirtle and struck a pose.

"Haha. Your Pokémon are a goofy bunch," Elise commented. She took a few pictures of Torchic.

"We should still be able to get to Pewter if we head out now," Stetson informed the group.

"Then we should get going. It was nice meeting you, Elise," Hazel said.

"Would you mind if I went with you? There is a good chance that Charmander is that way," Elise asked.

"Of course! It should make the adventures even better!" Soru said happily.

With that, the group continued on the path towards Pewter.

"So, we're really yet to ask, but are you a trainer or what?" Hazel asked.

"I'm actually a Pokémon Photographer. I have Cyndaquil with me and a Pokémon Egg that I found awhile back. I'm training, but my main focus is taking the perfect photos of  
Pokémon," Elise explained.

"That's amazing!" Soru exclaimed

"I'm currently working on becoming a Pokémon Breeder," Stetson said. He held Squirtle in his arms.

Hazel nodded. "I'm going to be entering the Indigo League."

"What about you, Soru?" Elise asked.

"Well, I like a good cheeseburger," Soru said.

Elise laughed, thinking that he was just joking around. She suddenly stopped and stared off into the distance.

"Charmander!" She called.

She ran ahead of the group, her camera gripped and ready to snap the perfect picture. The group followed.

"I have an idea!" Soru said to himself. He stopped and took off into the trees.

"We can try to weaken it up, if you need us to!" Hazel suggested.

"No! I'd like more a natural picture," Elise replied.

Charmander took note of the trainers running at him. He glared at them and blast a smooth stream of fire towards their direction. Elise ducked the fire and snapped a photo. It was too late though; Charmander was running the other way.

"Crap!" Stetson said. "We should try to surround it."

"Can't surround it until we catch up to it," Hazel said.

The three trainers continued to run. No one noticed that Soru was missing, because of the commotion.

Charmander looked back at the trainers and smiled. Suddenly, flames flew down from the sky. They pelted the ground in front of Charmander, causing him to stop.

Soru landed in front of Charmander and grinned. "Gotcha!" Torchic stepped out from behind his leg and mimicked Soru's expression.

Elise jumped into the air and took a picture of Charmander preparing to blow more fire from his mouth. She landed on the ground hard but noticed that her picture was perfect.

"I got it!" Elise called out happily.

Hazel pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon. "The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is enjoying itself. If the Pokémon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely."

"You may want to keep an eye out for the tail then!" Hazel said.

Charmander took a step back and opened up his mouth, trying to intimidate Torchic.

"I think that it wants to battle Torchic," Hazel thought aloud.

"A contest between two fire-type Pokémon? Sounds like it could be an excellent battle," Stetson said.

"You want to give it a try?" Soru asked Torchic. Torchic, instead of answering, stepped forward and prepared to battle.

"Alright, Torchic! Try your… uh…" Soru began but couldn't think of what to say.

Before anything else could happen, Charmander let loose another smooth burst of flames. The flames hit Torchic and caused him to tumble back.

"Torchic!" Soru cried.

"You have to tell him to attack!" Stetson yelled.

"I-I don't know…" Soru whimpered.

Hazel quickly scanned Torchic for his attacks. "Scratch, Ember, and Focus Energy," she reminded him.

Soru finally snapped back. "Oh yeah! Ember, now!"

Torchic let loose small flames from his mouth. The flames smacked into Charmander and caused him to retreat slightly.

"Try your Scratch!" Soru called.

Torchic jumped into the air, barring his talons. Charmander opened up his mouth and released a heavy set of flames. The flames engulfed Torchic. Whenever the flames disappeared, Torchic fell to the ground.

"Torchic!" Soru called. He ran out and grabbed his Pokémon. "You okay, buddy?"

"Tor…chic…" he replied weakly.

"Charmander!" The Pokémon cried out. It then ran back into the bushes, disappearing from sight.

The group ran up to Soru and crowded over him.

"You okay?" Stetson asked.

Soru nodded. "Yeah. We'll just have to have Torchic rest up." He reached for his Poké Ball and returned Torchic into it.

"We should keep going," Hazel suggested.

"Do you mind if I go with you to Pewter?" Elise asked.

Soru stood up. "Sure! The more the merrier!"

Hazel smiled. She knew that Soru, deep down, was hurt. The group continued through the forest. They all knew that it would be a long way to Pewter.

* * *

**A/N Kind of a short chapter. Well, short for Hazel's story atleast. I kind of think that it was sad for Soru to have lost. We've also added a knew trainer to the group, for the time being. Soru has seemed to take a liking to her. Even though, I believe that he likes anyone.**

**Q1) Do you think that Charmander will make a reappearance? If so, do you think Soru could capture him?**

**Q2) What Pokemon would you like to see Soru capture?**

**Two more chapters until Brock vs. Hazel!**

**We'll post Free and Heather's Adventure and Reaching For Indigo within the next week. Taking a break from Through the Eyes of Spade.**


	8. The Lazy Boy

It had been a few days, but the group had finally walked out of the path of Viridian Forest. They came to a cliff that overlooked a small clearing. Even farther than that was the entrance to a city.

"Finally!" Soru called out.

Hazel grinned. "We're getting closer to my gym battle."

Soru wrapped his arm around Elise and gave her a smile. "You should come and watch Hazel battle! It'd be great for you to capture a lot of pictures of a real gym battle!"

"Would you mind if I tag along and watch your gym battle?" Elise asked.

"Not at all! The more support, the more spirit we should have," Hazel chimed.

"I suggest that we go to the Pokémon Center to give our Pokémon some rest. Viridian Forest was pretty rough," Stetson suggested.

The group made their way into town where the Pokémon Center could be seen. The town was full of houses with multiple stones around them. The Pokémon Center was like this too.

The trainers went into the Pokémon Center and walked up towards the counter. Nurse Joy was waiting for them. She wore the usual white nurse's outfit along with her hat. The hat had a small light brown plus sign on it.

"How can I help you?" Nurse Joy asked.

"We were wondering if we could check out a room and rest up our Pokémon for awhile," Hazel answered.

Nurse Joy nodded. "Yeah. Just let me go ahead and register you into the computer. Can I get your names?"

"I'm Hazel from the Hoenn Region!" Hazel said.

"I'm Soru!"

"Stetson Smitty, training to become a top Pokémon breeder."

"And I'm Elise Holmes, from Ecruteak in the Johto Region."

"Were we suppose to say our last names and what we want to do when we grow up?" Soru whispered to Hazel.

"I don't know, but now I feel kind of weird," Hazel replied.

"I know, right?"

"You're room number is P31. It's right down the hallway to your right. If you need me to, I can take your Poké Balls right now," Nurse Joy explained.

The trainers handed out their Poké Balls and made their way to their room.

Stetson took a seat on the Pokémon Center's bottom bunk. He laid down his bag and checked to make sure that they had everything they needed.

"So, do you have a strategy for the gym leader?" Elise asked.

Hazel shook her head. "I can't really make a strategy. I have no idea what I'll be going up against."

"Why don't you give a call to Professor Oak? I saw those telephones out there. You could ask him for advice. Maybe he'd know," Soru suggested.

"If you go and do that, I have to go and buy some supplies for the group. The mart is on the other side of town. It'd take awhile," Stetson explained.

The group left all most of their belongings in the room and grabbed their Pokémon. Elise went with Stetson to the mart, while Soru stayed behind with Hazel.

Professor Oak walked into his laboratory and looked around at the mess of papers that were scattered around the floor.

"It's going to be trouble not having Stetson here. It looks like I'll have to do all of the cleaning myself," he told himself.

The phone began to ring, and he quickly ran over to it, stumbling over his books and papers.

"H-hello?"

"Hey, Professor Oak! Could we possibly get on video?" Hazel's voice rang through the other end.

Professor Oak pressed the button near his telephone, and Hazel appeared on the other side.

"How's it going, Hazel?"

"We're currently in Pewter! I'm going to be taking the gym challenge soon," Hazel explained.

"That's some good progress that you've made. Good luck in your gym battle!"

"That's the thing though; I have no idea what to look forward to. Do you know anything about the gym leader?"

"I can't really give you too much advice, but I recommend using your Mudkip. Have you been able to get past the Water Gun problem yet?" Oak asked.

Hazel cringed. "Uh…"

"Nope!" Soru interjected.

"Hmm…" Professor Oak pressed a few keys onto his laptop that was next to him. "It looks like you still have a chance to win. Your newly acquired Bulbasaur could help you out a lot."

Hazel thought for a moment then snapped her fingers. "I know this one! Deducting that the gym leader's Pokémon share the weaknesses of grass and water, their types should be ground or rock!"

"Professor Birch warned me that you'd be a smart one! That's right! The gym leader in Pewter uses rock-types. With that knowledge, you should be able to build your strategy," Professor Oak chimed.

"Thank you very much, Professor!" Hazel thanked. "I have to go build a strategy now."

"Before you leave, Hazel," Professor Oak said quickly. Hazel and Soru's attention was fixed on the professor. "Tell Stetson that I say 'hi'. I've missed the guy."

"No problem, professor!" Soru chimed before he hung up. "Let's go make that strategy! We can use the Pokémon Center's field in the back!"

* * *

"So, what products do we exactly have to get, Stetson?" Elise asked. She was yet to really talk to him.

"Don't tell Soru this, but I don't think he's responsible enough to buy his own food products. I figured I'd buy a few that way we don't starve on the road," Stetson explained with a slight laugh.

"He is a goofy guy!"

It took awhile, but the two finally reached the mart. It wasn't that big but it was packed with supplies ranging from PokéFood to cosmetic products. Elise ran off to see if she could find anything that may help her with her camera. Stetson quickly found the human food isle.

They both bought what they needed and quickly left the store.

"Not many things here for my camera. Instead I got little dolls to maybe make Pokémon smile whenever I try to get their picture," Elise explained while they were walking out.

"You should save up until you reach Celadon. I hear that is where there is a big mall!" Stetson told her with a smile.

"Nido!" Something cried. A figure jumped out of a nearby bush and tackled down Stetson.

"Stetson!" Elise cried out.

"What was that?" Stetson asked while he sat up slowly.

He locked eyes with a small purple Pokémon. It held one of the bags in his mouth.

"That looks like a male Nidoran," Elise noted.

"I've heard that there are two different forms of Nidoran. There is a distinguished difference between male and female," Stetson said while he stood up.

"I think it wants our food!" Elise screeched.

"C'mon out, Squirtle," Stetson called while he released his Pokémon from its ball.

Squirtle appeared and inched behind Stetson's leg.

"Hey, buddy. I'm wanting to capture this Nidoran. I think that the wide difference between males and females is interesting. Want to help me capture it? If you can help me get that food back, I'm sure I can convince Soru to make something delicious with it," Stetson told his Pokémon.

At the thought of Soru's food, Squirtle jumped forward and struck a battling pose.

"You can do it, Squirtle!" Elise cheered.

"What kind of strategy do you think I should go with?" Hazel asked Soru.

* * *

"You know I'm not a great battler. What if maybe though, we have a battle! I figured that if you battled Bulbasaur against my Torchic and learned how to take super-effective hits, Bulbasaur will be better off," Soru explained. "I also want to improve on my battle skills."

"Well, as long as it's a short battle. I don't want to hurt my Bulbasaur if I'm going to be battling with him today," Hazel replied. She really did not want to battle her best friend.

The two made their way back to the battlefield, but there were already two people battling there. One had a Pokémon that was small and green. It was fairly chubby for its size. The other trainer had a humanoid Pokémon. It had four arms and what looked like a championship belt around its waist.

"You really think that you can beat me with that weak Munchlax?" The boy with the four-armed Pokémon asked. He had long blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail. He wore a short sleeved, green jacket and blue jeans.

"You never know until you try. Am I right, Munchlax?" The other boy responded. He had pitch black, messy hair that was mostly covered with a black beanie. He wore a plain black t-shirt with red and black plaid shorts.

Hazel pulled out her Pokédex and scanned both Pokémon. "Machamp, the Superpower Pokémon and the evolved form of Machoke. Machamp has the power to hurl anything aside. However, trying to do any work requiring care and dexterity causes its arms to get tangled. This Pokémon tends to leap into action before it thinks." She then pointed it at the Munchlax. "Munchlax, the Big Eater Pokémon and the pre-evolved form of Snorlax. Munchlax conceals food under the long fur on its body. It carts around this food stash and swallows it without chewing. In its desperation to gulp down food, it forgets about the food it has hidden under its fur."

"Machamp, use your Karate Chop!" The blonde boy ordered.

Machamp leapt forward and swung his fists at Munchlax.

"Defense Curl, buddy!" The black haired boy responded.

Munchlax curled into a ball, and Machamp slammed his hands into his back, but to no avail.

"Now, Rollout!"

Munchlax suddenly rolled over and toppled onto Machamp. Machamp was flung back, and Munchlax turned around to do more damage.

"DynamicPunch!" The blonde boy snapped.

Machamp's fist began to glow. As soon as Munchlax came into striking distance, he swung.

"Body Slam…" The other boy ordered. It looked as though he was half asleep though.

Munchlax opened his body from his rolled form and collided with Machamp. Machamp's weight broke from under Munchlax, and they both fell to the ground. Whenever Munchlax rolled off of Machamp, Machamp refused to get back up.

"Like I said, you never know till you try," the black haired boy said with a goofy smile.

The blond haired boy returned his Pokémon and walked off of the field.

"That was awesome!" Soru cheered. He ran up to the boy.

"Your Munchlax is fantastic!" Hazel added.

"Well, we do try our best," the boy replied. "You two trainers?"

"Yeah! We were wanting to get some training in. My name is Soru, and this is Hazel," Soru said, introducing the two.

"Awesome. I'm Stephen, and this is my partner, Munchlax," Stephen replied.

* * *

The Nidoran lunged forward quickly, trying to jab his horn into Squirtle.

"Withdraw!" Stetson ordered quickly.

Squirtle retreated into his shell, and Nidoran stabbed into it to no avail. Nidoran retreated quickly then prepared to attack again. Squirtle popped out of his shell and checked where Nidoran had stabbed.

"Now use Muddy Water!" Stetson called.

Squirtle squatted down and water formed at the end of his limbs. He was shot into the air, followed by a muddy stream. The stream crashed onto Nidoran, causing him to fall back.

Elise took many pictures of the attack. While she did not want Squirtle to get hurt, she wanted to capture as many pictures as she could.

Nidoran got up slowly and darted for Squirtle. Their small bodies collided and Squirtle was sent skidding down the dirt road back to Stetson.

Stetson knelt over and put his hand on Squirtle's back. "Are you alright, buddy?"

"Squirt-Squirtle!" He replied, getting up slowly and striking a fighting pose.

"Alright, then! Use your Bubble!"

Squirtle opened his mouth, took a deep breath, and released a multitude of bubbles out of his mouth. The bubbles struck against Nidoran's skin, causing him to falter slightly.

Nidoran began a charge once more. This time, his horn was glowing a slight shade of purple. He jabbed for Squirtle, but the tiny turtle Pokémon was too fast.

"Close-ranged Tackle!" Stetson commanded.

Squirtle dodged around one of Nidoran's jabs. He then ducked and smashed hard into Nidoran's side. Nidoran flew to the side and crashed into a small boulder.

"Go, Poké Ball!" Stetson called while he threw his Poké Ball into the air. The Poké Ball connected with Nidoran and absorbed him into the ball. The ball rocked back and forth slowly until finally it let out a soft _ding_, signaling that it was a successful capture.

* * *

"So, you'll be competing to get to the Indigo League, too?" Hazel asked Stephen.

The three trainers all sat in the Pokémon Center's lobby. Instead of having their small training battle, they decided to talk strategy inside.

Stephen yawned. "I hope to. I'll try my best, I guess."

"What would stop you from getting to the end?" Soru asked.

"A good nap," Stephen laughed.

Soru and Hazel laughed, thinking that he was kidding.

"Maybe one day, we can have a battle. I've been wanting to get better, but I doubt that I'm up to your Munchlax's level," Hazel said with a sad smile.

Stephen pet Munchlax on the belly. He fell asleep next to Hazel's Mudkip and Bulbasaur and Soru's Torchic.

"It's all about working with your Pokémon and making them stronger. If you try your hardest, then the sky is the limit," Stephen said. His eyes were beginning to droop. He yawned and stretched his arms. "I'm going to head to bed. I'll talk to you two later."

"I'll definitely see you at the league, right?" Hazel asked enthusiastically.

Stephen stood up and lifted his Poké Ball. Munchlax was absorbed by the red light, and Stephen turned around. He lifted one hand and gave Hazel a thumbs up. Without any words, he stumbled into the hallway and disappeared.

"He was a cool guy!" Soru said happily.

"Yeah. I'm just a little bit more scared though," Hazel remarked. "He's such a strong trainer, and I'm well…"

Soru put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you're good enough. And no matter how bad of a trainer you are, you'll never be any worse than me," he said with a sincere tone. He then laughed at the last comment.

The Pokémon Center doors suddenly slid open, and Elise and Stetson walked in, holding all of the grocery bags.

"How was the shopping?" Hazel asked.

"The shopping was easy, but then we got attacked!" Elise said dramatically.

"What attacked you?!" Soru asked. He seemed to have fed off of Elise's excitement.

"Nothing to be worried about. It was just a male Nidoran. I ended up capturing it. He gave me some trouble too," Stetson remarked.

Hazel pulled out her Pokédex and looked up Nidoran. "Nidoran, the Poison Point Pokémon. The male Nidoran has developed muscles for moving its ears. Thanks to them, the ears can be freely moved in any direction. Even the slightest sound does not escape this Pokémon's notice," the Pokédex said in its female voice.

"That should come in handy!" Soru commented happily.

Stetson placed down the bags. "I'm sorry, Soru, but I promised Squirtle that I'd have you make some food for the group if he battled. Do you think you could go ahead and make something?"

Soru looked inside the bags and smiled. "Of course I will! I'll take it as practice!"

With that, Soru got up and ran off to the kitchen. Elise followed him. Stetson played with the Pokémon, and Hazel sat alone on the couch.

_What will happen if there are more strong trainers like that? I'm not even close to their level._ Hazel thought.

In just a few hours, she'd have to test how strong she really was.

* * *

**A/N Tbanks to 2Lax4U's OC Stephen. Is anybody interested in him returning for maybe a battle or two? Hazel will take on Brock in the next chapter. I put a lot of thought into this intro arc, which will be ending around chapter 15 and another arc will start. I'm wanting to work with seasons and arcs in this one. We'll just have to see how that goes!  
**

**Merry Christmas! Or Happy Holidays. I celebrate Christmas so it is Merry Christmas for me. We're posting three chapters up today. Check out Free and Heather's, and Azul's stories today!**

**Also, we're offering to put up people's stories on our profile that we find awesome! If you think you have a cool story, then give us a shout and we'll check it out! (Please only Pokemon).  
**


	9. The Gym Battle 1

It was the late afternoon. The group had prepared and left for the gym. The gym was a big building with boulders laying around the outside. There were two giant metal doors in the front, which gave it the feeling that it was a prison of some sort.

"Are you ready for this, Mudkip?" Hazel asked her Pokémon that was perched on her shoulder.

"Mudkip!" Mudkip replied joyfully.

Stetson pushed on the doors and they opened to reveal a dimly lit room. Just like the outside, it had boulders pointing from the ground.

"A challenger?" A voice echoed from seemingly nowhere.

Hazel walked forward and squinted to try to get a better view.

"My name is Hazel from the Hoenn Region. I'm here to challenge the gym leader here," Hazel stated.

"You are setting quiet a buzz through the gym leaders. It's not often that a trainer starts in a different region," the voice rang back.

The lights turned on and a teenage boy was sitting at a rocky thrown at the back. He had squinted eyes, tan skin, and spiky brown hair. He wore grey cargo pants and an orange sweatshirt.

"Are you the gym leader?" Hazel asked.

"I am. My name is Brock," he answered. "Does a two-on-two battle sound good to you?"

He walked down from his thrown and entered his trainer box.

"Two-on-two works for me!" Hazel said with a smile.

Brock pointed at a flight of stairs behind Hazel. "Your friends may watch from upstairs."

Soru, Elise, and Stetson all made their way up the flight of stairs up to a balcony that overlooked the whole battlefield.

"I'll go first," Brock stated calmly. "Let's go, Geodude!" With a simple flick of his hand, his first Pokémon was revealed. It was a rocky Pokémon with simply two arms.

Hazel pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the new Pokémon. "Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. The longer a Geodude lives, the more its edges are chipped and worn away, making it more rounded in appearance. However, this Pokémon's heart will remain hard, craggy, and rough always."

"That could be a challenge for Hazel," Stetson noted.

"I'll be using my Bulbasaur!" Hazel announced. She pulled her Poké Ball from her bag and tossed it into the air. Bulbasaur popped out and growled at Geodude.

"Looks like a healthy Bulbasaur, but it can't do anything against my Geodude," Brock said calmly.

"Bring it! Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!" Hazel ordered. She wouldn't allow Brock to insult her Pokémon.

Two vines flew from Bulbasaur's side, smacking into Geodude's hard exterior.

"Defense Curl!" Brock directed.

Geodude wrapped his long arms around his body and continued to take the beating. Nothing seemed to work though.

"Tackle!" Brock shouted.

Geodude flung his body forward and crashed into Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur flung his body back and struck another fighting stance.

"Yeah! You go, Bulbasaur! Use your Razor Leaf!"

Bulbasaur knelt forward and leaves shot from the side of his bulb. The leaves raced for Geodude, smashing into his rough body. Geodude flung backwards and crashed into the hard ground.

"You okay, Geodude?" Brock asked his Pokémon.

Geodude struggled by lifted himself out of the rubble. He flexed his rocky muscles and glared at Bulbasaur.

"I thought that would've knocked him out!" Hazel shouted.

"Bulbasaur isn't at a high enough level for Geodude," Stetson remarked. He had a look of worry on his face.

"Geodude, use Rollout!" Brock ordered.

Geodude curled his body and crashed into the ground. Without much warning, he began to roll towards Bulbasaur, knocking away boulders while he moved.

"Fend him off with your Razor Leaf!" Hazel ordered.

Bulbasaur let loose more razor sharp leaves from his bulb, only to be bounced off of Geodude's body. Geodude continued onwards and smashed into Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur was flung into the air and hit the wall behind Hazel. He skid down and fell into a heap on the ground.

"Bulbasaur!" Hazel cried.

"Bulba…" Her Pokémon replied weakly. He stood up and limped his way back onto the battlefield.

"Are you still going to let your Bulbasaur battle?" Brock asked.

"Don't do it, Hazel," Soru mumbled. "Bulbasaur can't take anymore…"

Hazel knelt down and pet her Bulbasaur on the head. "You did your best. It's time for a break."

"Bulba…" he cooed weakly before he succumbed to the red light of his Poké Ball.

"Do you still want to continue our battle?" Brock asked.

"I still have Mudkip," Hazel replied. She nodded at her Pokémon which rested on her shoulder. Mudkip jumped off and struck a fighting pose.

"Geodude, continue your Rollout!" Brock ordered.

"Avoid it! Use your Mud-Slap!"

Mudkip jumped over the rolling Pokémon and immediately stuck his two front legs into the ground. He lifted and shot the mud into the air. It smacked against Geodude, causing him to stop his Rollout.

"Now, Water Gun!" Hazel ordered with confidence.

"Defense Curl!" Brock cried out.

Mudkip opened his mouth, but nothing. Geodude braced himself, but after a few seconds of waiting, he looked back up.

"Mudkip still can't use Water Gun," Elise murmured. "This isn't good."

"A Mudkip who is unable to use water attacks? You will need to train more," Brock commented. "It looks like I'll have to end this. Geodude, Magnitude!"

Geodude punched into the ground, causing the whole building to shake. Cracks were caused in the ground, and Mudkip fell in. Mudkip cried in pain while the cracks crushed him.

"Stop the match!" Hazel cried. She ran out onto the field, while Geodude lifted his arm from the ground. Hazel grabbed ahold of Mudkip and held him tight. "I'm so sorry, Mudkip…"

"You can have a rematch whenever you feel that you're ready to battle again. I'll gladly accept it," Brock told her. He lifted his Poké Ball and returned his heaving Geodude.

* * *

The group upstairs ran down the flight of stairs and met Hazel near the doors. The group walked back to the Pokémon Center in silence. Hazel gave her Poké Balls to Nurse Joy and sat in the Pokémon Center lobby. Elise sat quietly with her, while Stetson played with the uninjured Pokémon, and Soru made food.

"Are you okay, Hazel?" Elise asked.

"No…" Hazel mumbled. It was a while since she had mumbled. She had seemed to have come out of her shell since meeting Elise and Stetson.

"Is there anything that I can do for you?" Elise asked.

"I just want to know that they're okay…"

"You'll have to wait for that, but I made you're a congratulatory soup," Soru piped in. He sat down a bowl of red soup in front of Hazel.

"Congratulatory soup?" Hazel wondered. "But I lost?"

"Even if that's the case, every battle is a learning experience. It was your first gym battle. There is no need to beat yourself up about it," Soru said with his usual smile.

"Even when you lose, you still win in a way," Stetson added.

Hazel looked at the soup and took a sip. "Thank you, guys…"

"Tomorrow, you can train. We'll help you out anyway possible," Stetson said while taking a seat. He grabbed a bowl for himself and began to break crackers to put into it.

"Will you be sticking around, Elise?" Soru asked.

Elise nodded. "I want to get awesome pictures for your next gym battle. If that's okay."

"That sounds good to me," Hazel replied. She was now in a better mood.

* * *

**A/N Kind of a new turn to our stories. Hazel probably won't be a powerhouse compared to Spade, Azul, Free or Heather.**

**Q1) What did you think of the battle?**

**Q2) Do you see Mudkip overcoming Water Gun?**


	10. The Charmander

It was the next day. The group left the Pokémon Center and found the edge of the Viridian Forest where they would begin their training.

"Do you know how to even train Mudkip to learn Water Gun?" Elise asked. "I think that you should go into training with an idea, ya know?"

"Maybe Squirtle can try to help teach him!" Soru suggested.

Stetson nodded. "That isn't a bad idea. Squirtle would benefit from talking with Mudkip. Mudkip could take some from it too."

The group found a bench near a small stream and set down all of their stuff. Soru readied his pots and pans to make them a lunch while Elise took pictures of his sleeping Torchic. Stetson's newly acquired Nidoran played around with Elise's Cyndaquil. Elise set her egg down on the table in between the bags.

Mudkip and Squirtle found a spot near the stream to talk with one another. Squirtle seemed to be lecturing Mudkip on proper water attack techniques.

"Bulbasaur, we need to work on your Razor Leaf attacks. I feel that maybe if we were a bit stronger, you could've taken Geodude," Hazel told her Pokémon.

"Bulba-Bulbasaur," he replied.

"I'm going to throw these Frisbees into the air. I want you to knock them all out of the air with your Razor Leaf," Hazel explained. She tossed three of the pink disks into the air.

Bulbasaur immediately twisted and released leaves from the sides of his bulb. The leaves connected with two of the disks, completely destroying them. The last disk fell to the ground. Hazel ran out and grabbed it.

"That was pretty good," she complimented. She pulled out three more disks from her bag. "Now let's try Vine Whip!" She threw the disks into the air.

Bulbasaur's signature two vines raced from the sides of his bulb. The vines smacked into the disks and destroyed them easily.

"You go, Bulbasaur!" Hazel cheered.

"Bulba-Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur replied happily.

Soru placed a bowl of PokéChow in front of Bulbasaur.

"You keep working on it, Bulbasaur!" Soru told him. "Here is some food to keep your energy up!"

"And now for Mudkip!" Hazel said. She turned around to look for Mudkip who was still with Squirtle.

Fire suddenly blazed from their side. Squirtle hid behind Mudkip, who took a defensive pose.

"Charmander!" Soru cried out.

"Huh?" Stetson wondered. He, along with the rest of the group ran out to get a better view.

The Charmander that had given Soru trouble only a few days ago stood next to the river.

"What's it doing here?" Elise asked.

Stetson looked over at Soru's pot of food. "Charmander could probably smell that you were making food."

"Oh really?" Soru wondered. He grabbed a bowl and scooped a thing of soup into it. He ran over near the river and put down the food.

Charmander curiously moved towards the food. He grabbed it and moved back, watching out for Soru.

Torchic ran over to Charmander and stared him down. Charmander finished eating quickly and eyed back at Torchic.

Hazel nudged Soru. "I think that Torchic wants a rematch."

"Is this true, Torchic?" Soru asked.

Torchic glared at Charmander, in response.

"Are you up for a rematch, Charmander?" Soru asked the Pokémon while it wiped its mouth.

"Charmander!" It called back.

"Then let's do it! Get back here, Torchic!" Soru called happily. Torchic ran back to his trainer and struck a fighting pose. The two Pokémon glared down each other.

"Start off with your Ember!" Soru ordered.

Torchic opened his mouth and released a small burst of flames. The multitude of tiny flames pelted against Charmander's face, making him wince in pain.

Charmander retaliated by shooting a powerful stream of flames from his mouth. The flames engulfed Torchic, just like last time.

"Torchic!" Soru screamed.

The flames died down and Torchic stayed still. He glared at Charmander and grinned.

"Char?" Charmander questioned with a worried look on his face.

"Awesome! Use Scratch!" Soru ordered.

Torchic jumped into the air and scratched towards Charmander with his legs. Charmander rolled back onto the ground and stood up slowly from the pain.

Soru grinned. "We have this one! Use your Ember one more time!"

Torchic opened up his mouth to release flames, but Charmander was too fast. Charmander released a black smoke from his mouth, blinding everyone. Whenever the smoke began to fade, Charmander jumped out and scratched Torchic's face, causing Torchic to fall back.

"Torchic!" Soru cried.

"Torchic…" Torchic murmured. He stood up and glared at Charmander. They both looked fiercely at each other before both collapsing.

"I guess that took too much for both of them," Hazel stated.

"I'll take this as my chance, then!" Soru said joyfully. He grabbed a Poké Ball from his bag and threw it at Charmander.

Charmander was absorbed into the ball. It fell to the ground and shook around a little bit before letting out a soft ding. Charmander had been caught.

"You did it!" Hazel cried.

Soru ran up and grabbed ahold of Torchic. He embraced him hard. "You were awesome, Torchic! Keep that up and we'll get so many friends!" He grabbed ahold of his Poké Ball. "We're going to be great friends!" He released Charmander from the ball. Charmander sat sadly and looked at the ground.

"Hey, buddy!" Soru called. He knelt down next to Charmander. "That was an awesome battle! You want another bowl of soup?"

"Char?" Charmander wondered, puzzled by Soru's kindness.

Soru placed down another bowl in front of him and smiled. "Eat all you want!" He looked up at the group. "Same goes for the rest of you! Eat up!"

The group got together and began to eat their lunch.

Hazel looked over at her Mudkip. He was cheerfully slurping down soup. All that she could wonder is if he would ever get out of his Water Gun rut, and how she could help him.

* * *

**A/N I'm thinking this is the shortest chapters I have for Hazel's story. It's pretty good though, development wise! Next chapter, we'll be introducing Hazel's rival! I'm setting up his team to counter all of Hazel's Pokemon.**

**Q1) Any other Pokemon you'd like to see Soru catch?**

**Q2) Review!**

**By the way, myself and Pokestets23 are doing a collab story together! New characters placed in the future! Go ahead and check out Stets channel for the story. We currently have three chapters.**


	11. The Rival

**Hazel's Pokemon**

**Mudkip - Level 14 - Mud-Slap, Tackle, Growl - Learning Water Gun**

**Bulbasaur - Level 12 - Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Tackle, and Leech Seed**

* * *

**Chapter 11 - The Rival**

* * *

There are many challenges throughout becoming a Pokémon Trainer. Professor Birch warned them that they could run into trouble. Sometimes there is the occasional rowdy Pokémon that will give them trouble. There are times that a Pokémon can get sick and the trainer would have to take care of them. Never in Professor Birch's lectures did he mention that sometimes a Pokémon would be unable to learn a naturally-learned attack.

The day that Hazel received her first Pokémon was a day that she'd never forget. Hazel picked Mudkip because she had felt a special connection to the Pokémon. She promised to fight with Mudkip as long as it took. The fact that Mudkip could not use Water Gun in battle didn't effect her mood too much.

"Mudkip, use Water Gun!" Hazel's voice rang through the air.

Mudkip jumped in the air and opened his mouth, but nothing. He landed on all fours and held his head low.

"Mudkip…" He cooed quietly.

They had been training all day. Hazel knew that she couldn't go back to face Brock without learning the move, so she and Mudkip decided they'd have a full day of training. Nothing exciting had happened yet though. Soru had used Torchic and Charmander to help him make a dinner for the group. Elise and Cyndaquil traveled through the area and caught a few pictures of different Pokémon throughout the area, and Stetson helped Squirtle get used to Nidoran.

Hazel knelt down and pet his head. "Don't let this get you down. I know that you'll learn it eventually. You just have to keep trying!"

"Mudkip…" He replied softly.

"You wanna give it another try?"

Mudkip nodded and Hazel ordered for the attack. Mudkip focused all of his energy into his stomach and let loose of all that energy at the same time. A little stream of water emerged from his mouth, but not enough to call it an attack.

"Aw… Well we're getting closer!" Hazel cheered. She was a little bit disappointed, but not enough to be angry with her Pokémon. She was comfortable with not using Water Gun, but was Mudkip?

Mudkip glared at the ground. Before Hazel could pet him again, he took off into the bushes.

"Mudkip!" Hazel screamed. "Where are you going?!"

With that, Mudkip disappeared. Hazel gave chase. She didn't know if was something that she said, or if Mudkip's emotions were just getting to him, but she refused to let either one of them quit.

Back at the campsite, Soru had finished making his food for an afternoon lunch with Torchic and Charmander. Charmander had gotten used to the group fairly quickly. He and Torchic constantly fought for the attention of Soru, but Soru never noticed.

"Food's ready!" Soru announced. He looked around and didn't see Hazel or Mudkip anywhere. Stetson was playing in the water with his Pokémon. Elise was dangling from a tree to get a picture of a sleeping Pidgey, and Bulbasaur was asleep under the shade of the wood bench.

"Hey, guys. Hazel's missing," Soru said calmly. That caught everyone's attention.

About a football field away, Hazel finally caught up with Mudkip. Mudkip lay on the cold ground, worn out and looking beat up.

"What happened to you?" Hazel asked, scared. She knelt down and put her hand under Mudkip's smooth, cool head.

"Get away from that Mudkip! I'm going to capture it!" A loud, angry voice screamed. Hazel glanced over and caught eyes with a boy around the same age as her. He wore black cargo pants that was fastened by a dark green belt. He had a black jacket that he buttoned up all the way.

"This is my Mudkip. He already has a trainer!" Hazel snapped.

The boy glared. He had a scary look to him. His dark blue eyes screamed out with anger. His black hair fell in his eyes but spiked in the back.

"Why was it all alone then? I guess that you have no control of your Pokémon," the boy commented with a snarky smile.

"We're just having trouble learning a few attacks," Hazel replied.

She was about to say something else, but she trailed off and noticed that there was a Pokémon near the boys feet. It was a Treecko. The Treecko glared at Hazel. Hazel recognized it even though most Treecko looked alike. He was the Treecko from Professor Birch's lab.

_The professor picked up the last Poké Ball and pushed the button. The white flash emerged and a small green Pokémon that stood on two legs was formed. It glared at Hazel. "The last one of the trio, Treecko."_

"_I don't like the way it looks at me…"_

_Treecko glared before kicking its Poké Ball and letting itself be absorbed back into its ball._

"_Treecko…" Professor Birch mumbled. "Always playing hard-to-get."_

"Are you by chance Hazel, from the Hoenn Region?" He asked, not responding to Hazel's last comment. She stood their silent, intimidated by him. "I'm Noir, from the Hoenn Region. I'm from Slateport. I heard that another trainer, who recently received a Mudkip from Professor Birch, decided to take a trip to Kanto. I couldn't let you upstage me," Noir told her.

"You followed me here?" Hazel asked. The boy's cool demeanor and what he had said freaked her out.

Noir nodded. "I didn't want to be the only new trainer throughout Hoenn. I also would like to represent Hoenn."

"You're here to beat me out…" Hazel stated.

"Hazel!" Soru's voice cried. He ran through the bushes along with the two other trainers and the Pokémon. He ran to Hazel and embraced her tightly. "Don't you dare run off like that again!"

Hazel was taken back. She finally saw the part of Soru that came from his mom.

"What do you say to a battle? My Treecko looks ready for a battle against you," Noir said, motioning at Treecko. Treecko looked angered and grumpy just as he did before.

"Works for me! Does a two on two battle work?" Hazel suggested.

Noir nodded in response. The trainers cleared a small field for them to battle. Stetson held onto Mudkip and gave him a few healing herbs. Hazel had decided to go with Bulbasaur first. Noir stood calmly and eyed down Bulbasaur.

"Totodile, show no mercy!" Noir announced while releasing his Pokémon. A small blue, crocodile-looking Pokémon appeared. He snapped his jaws, attempting to intimidate Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip!"

Without any hesitation, Bulbasaur released two vines from the sides of his bulbs. The vines raced across the field at remarkable speeds, causing the grass to blow.

"Dodge, then use Aqua Jet!" Noir ordered calmly.

Totodile sidestepped the attack then jumped into the air. He was enveloped in water and lunged forward at an amazing rate. He collided directly with Bulbasaur, causing him to stumble.

"While you have him close use Rage!" Noir commanded.

Totodile lifted his paw and attempted to smash it into Bulbasaur, but Bulbasaur was quick. He jumped back and avoided the attack, causing Totodile's hand to go straight through the ground.

"Vine Whip, Razor Leaf combo!" Hazel ordered confidently.

Bulbasaur whipped one of his vines out, latching it onto Totodile's arm. He pulled him forward and let loose a countless amount of leaves from his bulb. The leaves smacked into Totodile's face, forcing him back.

"Now Tackle!" Both trainer's ordered at the same time.

Both Pokémon lunged forward and collided. Totodile picked up and threw Bulbasaur, but it was too much for the little guy. Bulbasaur landed with a hard thud and struggled to get back up. Totodile fell to the ground, unconscious.

Without a word, Noir lifted his Poké Ball and returned his Pokémon. He looked down at Treecko, who then ran onto the field and prepared to fight.

"Razor Leaf!" Hazel ordered.

Bulbasaur let loose leaves form his bulb once more. They raced across the field, some slicing into the ground.

"Quick Attack!" Noir said.

Treecko darted forward, running through the leaves, only sustaining a few injuries.

Hazel knew that Razor Leaf wouldn't hold him back. She came up with the next best idea.

"Take Down!" She ordered.

Bulbasaur shifted back. Seconds before Treecko reached him, he lunged forward. Both Pokémon collided and were thrown back. Bulbasaur landed in front of Hazel, unconscious, and Treecko skid back, grabbing at his stomach from the pain.

"That Treecko was definitely born to fight," Soru commented. He glanced over at Mudkip. "I hope you're ready for this."

Hazel returned Bulbasaur back into his ball and kissed it. "You did great Bulbasaur. All of that training paid off." She turned and looked down at Mudkip. "Are you ready?" Mudkip nodded and jumped out onto the field.

"It looks like we're now pitting old friends against each other. Don't let that stop you from trying your hardest, Treecko!" Noir commanded.

"Treecko…" His Pokémon responded calmly.

"Mudkip, try Mud-Slap!" Hazel called.

Mudkip dug his paws into the ground and flung mud into the air.

"Quick Attack!" Noir said calmly.

Treecko dashed around the mud and slammed into Mudkip. Mudkip flew back but stood back up, ready to fight.

"One more Mud-Slap!"

Before Mudkip could start his attack, Treecko darted forward and readied to smash his paw into Mudkip. His paw began to glow a green and he grabbed ahold of Mudkip's head, draining energy.

_There's only one way out of this. Mudkip has to muster up enough strength to use Water Gun._ Hazel thought.

"Water Gun!" Hazel screamed desperately.

Mudkip lifted his head weakly and opened his mouth. Mustering up all of the remaining energy and power that he had, Mudkip blasted a thick stream of water from his mouth, forcing Treecko off of him.

"You did it!" Hazel cheered. It had taken awhile, but the outcome was worth it.

Treecko landed on the floor with a hard thud. He stood up weakly and prepared to fight on.

"Mudkip, Water Gun one more time!" Hazel ordered. Hope had been restored that she could win against Treecko.

Mudkip released another Water Gun attack; they now came with ease. The water skid across the field and slammed into Treecko. Treecko fell back a bit and looked up at his trainer.

"Quick Attack," Noir ordered calmly.

Treecko nodded and lunged forward. He ran on top of the stream of water, preparing to tackle into Mudkip. The two smashed into each other and Mudkip ended his attack. Mudkip flew into Hazel's arms, unable to battle. Treecko took a few deep breaths before collapsing to the ground.

Noir lifted his Poké Ball and returned Treecko. "You did well."

"That was an awesome battle!" Soru cheered. "It looks like you have an opponent, Hazel!"

"I don't think that's the right word," Elise joked.

Noir, ignoring Soru's comments, walked up to Hazel. He took one good look at Mudkip and sighed. "That was a good battle. I'm guessing that the attack that Mudkip couldn't master was Water Gun?"

Hazel shook her head. "Yeah… Your battle helped him learn it. How could you tell?"

"The aim is off. Just be careful with that," Noir informed her. "I won't lose next time though." He held out his hand.

Hazel, confused, took his hand and shook it. "But you didn't lose? We had a draw."

Noir shook his head and turned. "A draw is a loss. Like I said, next time. I won't lose." With that, he walked off calmly.

The group watched him as he left. Hazel looked down at Mudkip, who was coming to, and smiled. It had taken awhile, but with the help from Noir, Mudkip had finally learned Water Gun. The next step of Hazel's journey would to be to take on Brock once more.

The question though is: can she beat him?

* * *

**A/N So, Hazel gets a rival! How did you guys like Noir? Heather says 'hi! Kidding... or am I?'. He will be one of the jerky types of rivals. Not a rival that tastes like jerky, but one who is mean to Hazel. This was a goofy A/N. Sorry for that!**

**Q1) What'd you think of the chapter?!**

**Q2) What are your favorite stories on fanfiction?**

**Also, if you get a chance-find time to get a chance-go check out Twins of the West Star by myself and Pokestets. It's a really good story and I think we may try to mix it with all of our other stories.**


	12. The Gym Battle 1 Rematch

**Hazel's Pokemon**

**Mudkip - Level 16 - Mud-Slap, Tackle, Growl, and Water Gun**

**Bulbasaur - Level 14 - Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Tackle, and Leech Seed**

* * *

**Chapter 12 - The Gym Battle 1 Rematch**

* * *

"This battle will be a two on two battle between Gym Leader, Brock, and Challenger, Hazel to decide the fate of the Boulderbadge! Only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions! The battle will be over when one's side is completely unable to battle!" The official referee, who was placed at the side of the battlefield, announced.

Soru, Elise, and Stetson all stood at the balcony overlooking the field. Soru had packed food to eat while he watched. He claimed that it made him nervous to watch gym battles, and eating helped him calm down.

"Just like before, I'll be going with Geodude," Brock announced, releasing his Pokémon from his ball.

Geodude looked around the field and flexed his rocky muscles. With the way things went last time, Geodude had a lot of confidence.

"We've trained a lot. My Bulbasaur can take you now," Hazel said with a confident smile. She released Bulbasaur from his ball.

Bulbasaur smirked at Geodude, knowing that he could take him this time.

"Begin!" The referee screamed.

"Geodude, use Rollout!" Brock ordered before Hazel could even think.

Geodude crashed into the ground and began to roll. He darted forward towards Bulbasaur, ready to steam roll over him.

"Vine Whip!" Hazel countered.

Bulbasaur calmly let loose his vines. The vines wrapped around Geodude, stopping him from moving. He then whipped around and slammed Geodude into the ground.

"Now use Razor Leaf!"

Bulbasaur cried while the leaves stormed from his bulb. A multitude of sharpened leaves zoomed across the field.

"Defense Curl!" Brock commanded.

Geodude wrapped his arms around himself, guarding from the onslaught of leaves. He was pounded by the attacks, causing him to fall back a little bit.

"Tackle!" Hazel ordered.

Bulbasaur leapt forward, ready to attack, but Brock was ready for a counter-attack.

"Stop him with Magnitude!"

Geodude punched into the ground, forcing the ground to shake. Bulbasaur fell down to the ground, which began to split open. Bulbasaur was caught in between a crack, and it started to squeeze him.

"Bulbasaur!" Soru cried. "You can do it!"

Bulbasaur lifted himself out of the fissure and tried to walk off the pain. Geodude lifted his arm, letting the attack rest.

"Tackle, Geodude!"Brock ordered.

Geodude flung itself across the stadium, colliding with Bulbasaur, forcing him to fly back a little bit. Bulbasaur, shaking and beaten, stood back up.

"Can you still battle, Bulbasaur?" Hazel asked. She was desperate for a win. She hadn't technically won a real battle yet. A gym battle victory would be great for her mood.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur replied, stretching and readying to fight.

"Then Razor Leaf!" Hazel called. Her hope restored.

Bulbasaur released more leaves from his bulb. The leaves smacked into Geodude, cutting at his rocky surface until he fell to the ground.

"Geodude is unable to continue! Bulbasaur is the winner!" The referee declared. He raised up a green flag, signaling that Brock had lost.

Bulbasaur took many deep breaths. He was definitely worn out because of Geodude, but that did not mean that he would give in any time soon.

"You've definitely come a lot farther than you were a few days ago. It is great to see someone train so hard," Brock complimented while he returned Geodude back into his Poké Ball. "But I wonder if it is enough to defeat me. C'mon out, Onix!"

Out from Brock's Poké Ball, a giant, rocky snake with a horn appeared. It roared at the tiny Bulbasaur, attempting to intimidate him.

Hazel scanned the new Pokémon with her Pokédex. "Onix, the Rock Snake Pokémon. Onix has a magnet in its brain. It acts as a compass so that this Pokémon does not lose direction while it is tunneling. As it grows older, its body becomes increasingly rounder and smoother."

"You may attack first," Brock said calmly.

Hazel took a deep breath. She never imagined a Pokémon of that size. It scared her a little bit. Her hopes of winning a gym badge were almost completely destroyed.

"Bulbasaur…" Hazel mumbled.

"If you don't attack, I will," Brock said calmly.

"Fine then! Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"

Bulbasaur released his attack. The leaves scattered across the field and smacked into Onix at all directions. The leaves fell and Onix yawned at the weak attack.

"Bind!" Brock ordered.

Onix slithered forward and wrapped his gigantic body around Bulbasaur. He moved in closer, pulling in tighter and forcing all of the air out of Bulbasaur.

"Bulba!" the Pokémon cried out.

With a quick flick of the tail, Onix lunged Bulbasaur at the hard wall. Bulbasaur fell down the wall, not getting back up.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle! Onix is the winner! Both trainers are down to their last Pokémon!" The referee said, holding up the red flag.

Hazel returned Bulbasaur back into his Poké Ball. "You did awesome Bulbasaur. You deserve a long rest."

"Next up is Mudkip," Stetson whispered quietly.

Hazel smiled at the Mudkip on her shoulder. "Are you ready for this?"

Mudkip nodded and jumped off of her shoulder. He stepped up slowly and looked up at Onix. The giant Pokémon intimidated him.

"You may have the first move," Brock said quietly. He had wanted to see Mudkip's progress for awhile now.

"Water Gun!" Hazel ordered.

Mudkip blasted a thick stream of water from his mouth, getting a direct hit on Onix. Onix fell back and landed onto the hard ground with a crash.

Smoke filled the small battlefield, and it had looked like Hazel had easily beaten Onix. Whenever the dust cleared, Onix was nowhere to be found, but in his place, a giant hole.

"Be careful, Hazel! They're using dig!" Stetson called from the balcony.

"What does that mean?" Soru asked.

Stetson did not move his eyes from the field. "Onix went underground. He can appear at any moment, giving Mudkip a surprise attack."

The ground began to rumble. Mudkip tried to stand his ground but slipped and landed face first. With a loud exploding noise, Onix burst from the ground, throwing Mudkip into the air. Mudkip landed in front of Hazel, but got back up and prepared for another attack.

"Slam!" Brock ordered.

Onix lifted his tail and slammed it onto Mudkip, smashing him into the ground. A small crater was formed. Mudkip lay limp.

"Mudkip is unable to-" the ref began, but he stopped once he noticed that Mudkip began to stand back up. "Continue!"

"Your Mudkip has definitely got better since the last time. But will it be enough?" Brock wondered to himself.

"It will be! Mudkip, Mud-Slap!"

Mudkip lifted himself from the ground and smacked his front paws forward. He lifted mud from the ground and tossed it up into the air. The mud smashed into Onix's eyes, sending him into a rage. Onix thrashed about, attempting to get the mud out of his eyes.

"Now use Water Gun!"

Mudkip jumped into the air and ran up Onix's long body. Once he reached his face, he blast out another cold jet of water. The water smashed into Onix's face, forcing him to fall to the ground. Mudkip jumped back and breathed heavily. He could not go much longer, but neither could Onix.

Onix slithered back up and glared angrily at Mudkip.

"Use Bind!" Brock called.

Before Hazel could call out a counter attack, Onix wrapped himself around Mudkip and squeeze as hard as he could.

"Mudkip!" Soru called. "Mudkip, you can win this one!"

Out of desperation, Mudkip released another blast of water. The water smashed into Onix, who only tried to squeeze harder. Both Pokémon weakened until Onix let go of Mudkip. Mudkip fell to the ground along with Onix.

"Both Pokémon are unable to continue! This match ends in a draw!" The referee declared.

Hazel ran out onto the battlefield. She grabbed ahold of Mudkip and held him tightly.

"Are you okay, Mudkip?" she asked. She had tears in her eyes. Not from the fact that she did not win, but because Mudkip had gotten hurt.

Brock returned Onix back into his ball and walked calmly up to Hazel. He knelt down to pat Mudkip on the head.

"Your Mudkip came a long way since the last time we battled," he said with a smile on his face. "I'm proud of you, Hazel."

Hazel frowned. "So, I guess that I can battle you again in a little bit, huh?"

Brock shook his head. "I don't think that me and you should have a rematch." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small brown pendant. "You've earned the Boulderbadge."

Hazel grabbed it gingerly and examined it. "But why? I didn't beat you."

The three other trainers joined Hazel and Brock on the field. Stetson took ahold of Mudkip and began to examine him for any injuries.

"It isn't about winning or losing. I knew from the moment that we first battled that you had the determination in your eyes to be a great trainer one day. You weren't ready, though, to move onto the next step. You had to overcome your challenges with your Pokémon. Teaching Mudkip Water Gun was the way of doing that. I believe, that since you could teach a Pokémon a move that would normally come naturally, but didn't, you deserve this badge," Brock explained.

"Smile, Hazel. You got your first badge!" Soru screamed out happily. Him and Torchic danced together before grabbing ahold of Hazel and dragging her around.

"I think that Soru is more happy for Hazel's win than Hazel," Elise said with a laugh.

* * *

**A/N Before anyone gets up all on me! I have a strong belief that you do not have to win your battle, to win your badge. I think, that if you can overcome a challenge and prove to the gym leader that you are worth a badge, then you deserve it.**

**A/N 2 The levels up top do not mean that once Mudkip reaches 16, which he has, he will evolve. I love a story where it takes awhile for Pokemon to evolve. Also, seeing as I'm getting closer to Chapter 15, I may as well tell you all this. Chapter 15 will be the end of their first arc. I'm calling it an introductory arc. It will introduce a lot of the OC's I've been given, Team Rocket, Noir, and the traveling companions. So, once I reach 15, I'll be taking a small break.**

**A/N 3 Next chapter, Elise will decide if she stays with the group or not. Q1) What are your predictions?**

**Q2) How far would you like to see Bulbasaur evolve? Same goes for Mudkip?**

**Q3) So far, what do you like about this series that sticks out compared to the others?**

**Next time: Chapter 13 - The Decision**


	13. The Decision

**Hazel's Pokemon**

**Mudkip - Level 16 - Mud-Slap, Tackle, Growl, and Water Gun**

**Bulbasaur - Level 14 - Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Tackle, and Leech Seed**

* * *

**Chapter 13 – The Decision**

* * *

Since Soru and Hazel had met, they knew that they would one day travel together. It was their shared dream to go through their journey together. Stetson had always wanted to go on a journey of his own but never had the chance until Professor Oak had him join up with Hazel. Elise knew she wanted to journey to find herself. It was never in her plans, though, to travel with anyone. She had always been a loner and pretty self-involved. But as time went on with the three trainers that she had met in Viridian Forest, she had wanted to join them permanently. But how could she tell them?

The day was a normal day for the Kanto region in the fall. It was breezy with a slight chill in the air. The leaves on the different trees had finally began to turn different colors and fall to the ground, and the grass had finally turned to a yellow color.

The group left the Pokémon Center, ready to journey on.

"Where exactly do we go next?" Soru asked. He looked at a paper map, not knowing that it was upside down.

"Our next destination is Mt. Moon. We'll be going through there to get to Cerulean, where Hazel's next gym challenge is located," Stetson explained.

Elise bit her lip. "Is it okay if I go with you guys to Mt. Moon? I'd love to get a few pictures of the Pokémon who live there. From there, I can split from you guys."

"Oh…" Soru blurted quietly. Elise glanced over at him, and he looked away.

"That's okay with me!" Hazel cheered.

The group continued on the road leading out Pewter to the path that would take them onto Route 3.

Elise snapped pictures of Pokémon that flew over them, while Soru played with Torchic, Stetson went through a book that he had been reading, and Hazel looked at her map for directions.

Elise glanced around the group. She had never really been around people that much, so this was different for her. She usually enjoyed her time alone, but this group was different. Hazel had given her many battles to photograph, Stetson was filled with a lot of different information on Pokémon that would come in handy when dealing with wild Pokémon, and Soru constantly made her feel like he cared about her; he was a true friend.

"Hey, Elise! Look at that!" Soru screamed, pointing out at a group of brown Pokémon. They were all carrying around apples.

"Sentret, the Scout Pokémon. When Sentret sleeps, it does so while another stands guard. The sentry wakes the others at the first sign of danger. When this Pokémon becomes separated from its pack, it becomes incapable of sleep due to fear," Hazel's Pokédex chimed.

Elise inched closer, her camera up to her eyes. She snapped a picture, slightly startling a few of the Sentret. One Sentret, laying on her back, glanced over and smiled at Elise. She rolled over onto all fours and crawled her way over to Elise. Elise pointed the camera at her, and Sentret poked the lens with her paw. Elise snapped a picture then looked back at the group.

"I think I've got enough of these Sentret," Elise said. She ran back to the group and waved goodbye to the family of Sentret. The group then back on route for Mt. Moon.

The route stayed simple with a few trees around the surrounding area. The mountain ranges at the sides began to get tighter until, eventually, the group walked in a small canyon. The sun struggled to get through the cracks, but lit up the area. Not a single wild Pokémon could be seen throughout the area.

"Where are you going?" Soru said, breaking the silence.

Stetson and Hazel looked back at Elise, who did not know Soru was talking to her. Elise put her finger to her lips and thought.

"Um… I really don't know yet. I figured that would come to me when I get there," Elise explained.

"Oh. Okay then," Soru replied. He seemed different than usual. His usual happy attitude had died, and now he seemed saddened by something.

A rock stumbled from the side of the canyon and rolled down, clanking loudly until it hit the ground. The group looked up and noticed that a Sentret was smiling down at them.

"Is that the Sentret from before?" Hazel wondered.

"It would seem so. I think that it may have taken a liking to you, Elise," Stetson said with a smile.

The Sentret smiled at Elise and ran down the wall. She leapt off of the wall and landed on Elise's shoulder.

"Sentret!" she squeaked.

"Maybe Sentret wants to go with you! You did take her picture after all," Soru cheered.

"Do you want to come with me?" Elise asked her shyly.

Sentret smiled and nodded before jumping off of her shoulder and trying to frown, but laughing in the process.

"I think she wants a battle first," Hazel said. "Do you think you can capture her in a battle?"

Elise looked over at Sentret then down at her Poké Ball. She grabbed at her Poké Ball slowly and took a deep breath.

"I don't know…"

"You can do it!" Soru cheered happily. He ran up to Elise and smiled from ear to ear. "I know that you can do it!"

Elise nodded and pressed the button on her Poké Ball. Cyndaquil appeared and stretched. Cyndaquil was often out of his ball, so he was not used to being stored into it.

"You wanna help me battle?" Elise asked the Pokémon.

Cyndaquil stood straight up and let loose flames from his back, signaling that he would fight.

"Alright! Cyndaquil, use…" Elise began before scratching the back of her head.

"This is kind of familiar," Stetson murmured to Hazel.

"Cyndaquil knows Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen, and Ember!" Hazel yelled, reading her Pokédex.

"Okay! Cyndaquil, use Tackle!"

Cyndaquil jumped forward and dashed off at Cyndaquil. Before Cyndaquil could get any closer, Sentret curled into a ball. She was flung back, smacking into the wall hard. When she landed on the ground, she uncurled and looked as though she had only taken a little bit of damage.

"Oh no…" Elise murmured sadly.

"Don't worry! Sentret just used Defense Curl!" Soru informed her. He did not know how he knew that, but he did.

Elise smiled at Soru, taking her eyes from the battle.

"Watch out!" Stetson yelled.

Elise turned and watched as Sentret darted, at a blinding speed, into Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil slid back, but dug his feet in the ground so he would not fly into the wall. Sentret readied to dash again, but Elise was ready.

"Ember!"

Sentret raced down the small path, ready to do more damage. Cyndaquil released small pellets of fire from his mouth, smacking against Sentret's face. Sentret stumbled a little bit, looking irritated by the attack.

"Now Tackle!" Elise ordered. In only a matter of minutes, Elise had gotten the hang of Cyndaquil's attacks.

Cyndaquil jumped and checked Sentret. Sentret hit the ground hard, unable to stand back up. She whimpered weakly while Elise pulled out a Poké Ball. With the flick of her hand, the Poké Ball was in the air. It smacked lightly against Sentret and dragged her in. With little to no struggle, the Poké Ball dinged.

"I did it!" Elise cheered. Cyndaquil turned, jumped, and fist bumped Elise. Elise grabbed her Poké Ball and held it into the air. "I really did it!"

The group surrounded Elise, giving her pats on the back. Elise smiled at the group before realizing that she would soon leave them. Her smile turned to a frown and she tried to hide her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked.

"Nothing I...just…" she whimpered.

"You should come with us on our journey permanently!" Soru squealed. She punched Elise's shoulder playfully.

"What?" Elise sobbed. "Are you serious?"

Soru nodded. "Yeah… I mean… If you want to. I just assumed that you would maybe want to. You'd get a lot of awesome pictures!"

Elise looked at Hazel and Stetson. "Is that okay with you two?" They both nodded.

"I don't see any problem with you joining us. It only means that you have more people to cheer you on!" Hazel said with a smile.

Elise wiped away her tears. She did not think it would be that easy. These random people that she met on her journey were actually friends. Never had she thought she would actually make friends. There is always a first for everything.

* * *

**A/N And Elise joins the group permanently! There is really nothing else to say about the chapter. Two more chapters, then the first arc is over. And to answer someone's question, it will be the same story after the first arc. I just will be taking a small break, and I will no longer be naming the chapters "The _".**


	14. The Team

**Hazel's Pokemon**

**Mudkip - Level 18 - Mud-Slap, Tackle, Growl, and Water Gun**

**Bulbasaur - Level 16 - Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Tackle, and Leech Seed**

**Chapter 14 – The Team**

It was not a long trek on Route 3. The group had made it to Mt. Moon pretty quickly. They rested up their Pokémon at the nearby Pokémon Center and ate their lunch. It did not take long until they entered Mt. Moon.

"Torchic, watch out!" Soru called. A Zubat swept down from the air, and Torchic barely dodged.

"It looks like Torchic is getting more fluent in battling," Stetson noted.

"Now, Ember!"

Torchic opened his mouth small pellets of flames were released. They smacked into the Zubat, making it fall to the ground. The Zubat got back up and flew away.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Hazel said to herself. She grabbed her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. "Zubat remains quietly unmoving in a dark spot during the bright daylight hours. It does so because prolonged exposure to the sun causes its body to become slightly burned," it read.

"They may get their days and nights confused while they live in here," Elise wondered. She rubbed her arms together because it was cold. She also knew that she could not get many pictures, because the flash could be harmful.

The group continued through the cave. It was dark, but Charmander's tail lit up a lot of it. Soru gave Hazel his jacket since she complained about the cold. But after awhile, Soru complained, so Stetson gave him his.

"Hey, guys," Stetson said. He was squinting his eyes, trying to get a better view of something that was far away. He pointed at it. "There is something over there!"

They ran up to it, and Charmander used his light to reveal that it was a Pokémon. It was brown with a square pattern all over it.

Stetson immediately knelt down and pulled out Pokémon medicine. Hazel scanned the Pokémon for information.

"It's a Sandshrew…" she commented. "I wonder what is wrong with it."

"I can say that it isn't sick," Stetson informed her. "It actually looks like it was attacked mercilessly."

"Who would do something like that?" Elise squeaked.

Soru saw a small light peering from a crack in one of the walls. He looked through, Charmander following him, and saw that it was not sunlight but a flashlight. He pushed himself into the crack before he felt the ground rumble.

"Soru?" Elise said, turning around.

Suddenly, the ground collapsed under Soru, making him and Charmander fall into the crack, which was now expanded. Elise dived after him, and they both fell into the black.

"Soru!" Hazel screamed. "Elise!"

Stetson grabbed ahold of Sandshrew and looked into the hole.

"You're not thinking about jumping are you?!" Hazel asked, grabbing his shoulder.

"I-I guess not…"

Hazel then looked down the path and motioned for him to follow. The two ran down it, hopefully leading them to their friends.

* * *

"Ouch, my head…" Soru mumbled, grabbing the back of his head. His other hand fumbled around, looking for his hat. He felt over something soft—like skin. He squinted to see that he was touching Elise's neck.

"Ah!" Elise screamed. She jolted back and kicked out. "Soru?"

"Oh good! It's you! I thought I found a dead guy…" Soru said. He stood up and looked around. It was almost too dark to see. The lights from above barely shined down. Charmander moved from Soru's leg and lit up the area.

There was a narrow path in front of them. They looked at each other, then back down the path. Soru slowly walked forward, Elise right behind him.

* * *

Hazel looked around frantically, trying to see an end to the tunnel. It looked like they were getting nowhere.

"Don't worry. We'll find them," Stetson said. He was still treating the Sandshrew.

Hazel's eyes widened when she noticed a light at the end of their path. The two ran down the path until they finally reached the end. They entered in another part of the cavern. This place was wider and was lit by bright lights.

"What are the lights doing here?" Hazel asked, squinting her eyes because of the brightness.

"More importantly, what are you doing here?" a voice boomed. They looked to the side and noticed a man in black. He had brown hair and brown eyes that pierced into the soul. On his black shirt was a red 'R' on the shoulder. He sat on a rock, glaring at the two trainers.

"We're trying to get through Mt. Moon to get to Cerulean. But we lost our friends on the way here," Hazel explained.

The man stood up and pulled a Poké Ball out from his belt. "You look like some new trainers… How about this: we have a battle."

"We need to find our friends though!" Stetson snapped.

"But I insist," the man said calmly. He tossed the Poké Ball into the air. A small, black, weasel-like Pokémon with long white claws and a red gym on its forehead appeared.

"Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokémon. Sneasel scales trees by punching its hooked claws into bark. It seeks out unguarded nests and steels Eggs for food while its parents are away," Hazel's Pokédex chimed.

"I think we're in trouble…" Hazel murmured.

* * *

The two walked into a dimly lit room. They could hear clanging noises coming from the distance. Soru looked around. He waved for Elise to follow and they continued down their cold path.

Soru peered around a corner and saw a multitude of people dressed in black digging. A muscular man with stringy long hair stood on a few rocks behind all of the others. He wore black, just like the others, and had a red 'R' on his chest.

"Dig faster!" he commanded. "We have to get the Moon Stone to the boss before the authorities show up!"

Elise covered her mouth. "Did you hear that? They're probably going to steal the Moon Stone!"

"Or… Maybe they're digging up the Moon Stone, so Moon Stone Authorities can check it out!" Soru replied, being the optimist that he was.

Soru returned Charmander back into his ball, no longer needing his light. He trudged out into the opening, letting all of the people notice him. He stuck his hands behind the back of his head and smiled.

"Hello, fellow nice people! My name is Soru, and I was wondering if you could help me and my friend get out of here? We kind of got lost!"

A loud popping noise sounded, and Soru looked around to see a multitude of angry Pokémon all over the place.

"Tie him up," the man ordered.

* * *

"Mudkip, Water Gun!" Hazel ordered.

Mudkip blast a jet of water out of his mouth. The jet smashed into the Sneasel's feet, sending him into the air.

"Sneasel, Agility then Metal Claw," the man ordered as though is Pokémon took no damage, which he did not.

Sneasel darted forwards at an incredible speed. He lifted claws, which now shined a metallic silver, and slashed at Mudkip. Mudkip fell back and laid limp at Hazel's feet.

"Mudkip!" Hazel screamed. She grabbed Mudkip and held him close. "I'm sorry that had to happen to you!"

"You should just surrender now," the man said calmly. He had an evil smile on his face.

"Not yet! Nidoran, let's show him!" Stetson called, tossing his Poké Ball into the air. His Nidoran appeared, ready to rumble.

"A weak Nidoran?" the man questioned. "Sneasel, Icy Wind."

Sneasel opened his mouth and a cold wind blew from it. The wind blew past Nidoran, and into the trainers. Stetson stepped in front of Hazel, trying to shield her from the coldness.

"Nidoran, Double Kick!"

Nidoran mustered up what strength he had and jumped. He came down onto Sneasel, kicking him twice in the stomach. Sneasel flew back but rebounded off a rock. He came back swinging his claws furiously, slicing into Nidoran and throwing him back. Stetson scurried to pick up his Pokémon, who was already knocked out.

"Both of your Pokémon are way to weak to stand up to someone like me," the man stated. "Then again. I am a general for Team Rocket. I bet that you've heard of me, Mercutio!"

"Team Rocket?" Stetson gasped.

* * *

"Team Rocket?!" Soru screamed. He and Elise were tied next to a big boulder. He paused then closed his eyes, as though he was trying to remember something. "Are you guys a musical group?"

"No, Soru! They're a crime syndicate!" Elise screamed. "They're trying to steal the Moon Stone!"

The muscular man with the long, stringy hair stomped his feet to the ground, gaining the duo's attention. "If you don't give us any trouble, we'll let you free. But you must shut up!"

"What do you want with the Moon Stone?" Elise snapped.

The man rubbed his chin. "We're wanting to harness the power of the Moon Stone to induce evolution upon our Pokémon. You see, the Moon Stone will sometimes allow certain Pokémon evolve. I, Xavier, the 46th general of Team Rocket, will harness that power!"

"Forty-six is a lot…" Soru mumbled.

Xavier laughed. "Team Rocket is everywhere… A lot of generals are needed!"

A small explosion took place behind Xavier. A thick grey smoke filled the area, making Soru and Elise cough. He turned and saw that the Team Rocket members had pulled a giant stone out of the ground. The lights from Team Rocket's flashlights reflected off of the black stone.

"General Xavier, we got it!" One of the grunts announced.

Xavier walked up close to Soru. "We're going to go ahead and just leave you here. But I warn you," he started, lifting his hand to Soru's throat. "If you interfere with us in any way, I'll snap your neck."

The Team Rocket members put the stone into a giant truck, and Xavier backed from the kids. "Buh bye, kids."

* * *

Mercutio and Sneasel drew in closer. Mercutio pulled an object from his pocket and clicked a button. A knife popped out, looking sharp.

"You're gonna kill us?" Hazel screamed.

Stetson stood in her way and glared at Mercutio. He tried backing away, forcing Haze to also move.

"That is the plan! Maybe, if they find your bodies, it'll be just enough to let people know that we mean business!"

From Mercutio's belt, a crackling noise burst. He looked down and grabbed a black walkie-talkie.

"Attention, General Mercutio! We have pulled the Moon Stone. There is no more need for further action. We have orders to pull out of Mt. Moon as soon as possible," someone announced.

"I guess you got lucky," Mercutio said, putting his knife back in his pocket. He grabbed a small ball from his belt and tossed it to the ground. It blew, making smoke fill the area.

Hazel and Stetson were left alone, coughing to get the smoke out of their lungs. Hazel looked at Stetson and hugged him.

"We're still alive!" she exclaimed.

Stetson nodded and blushed. "Yeah, but we still need to find the other two!"

* * *

"Let us out of here!" Soru screamed. He kicked furiously and tried to break out.

"They already left, Soru," Elise mumbled. "And this rope is too tight for us to get out by ourselves…"

"Use Cyndaquil," Soru said. He smiled and reached for his belt to the best of his abilities. He knocked his two Poké Balls off, and they clanged against the ground. They burst open with white lights, and Torchic and Charmander appeared.

Elise struggled, and let Cyndaquil out of his ball. The Pokémon all looked at each other, then at their trainers. They looked at them curiously and giggled slightly.

"Ember!" they ordered in unison.

All three Pokémon released the small pellets of fire onto the rope, Charmander leaning off a little bit and getting Soru in the face. The rope broke and the two fell, Elise landing on her feet and Soru on his backside.

"Charmander, that hurt!" Soru cried. Charmander only smiled and put his paws behind his head. Soru stood up and took a look around. He smiled at Elise, and they ran out of the small area.

They continued up a small path that circled along the walls. They could hear and see that two more figures were coming down the path. Elise grabbed ahold of Soru and pulled him behind a boulder. They peaked out from the rock and noticed the two figures were getting closer.

"It is probably Team Rocket!" Elise warned Soru in a hushed tone.

"Then I know what to do!" Soru responded. He grinned mischievously and glanced down at Torchic. "Torchic, use Ember!"

Torchic jumped from the boulder and let loose the fiery attack. The two figures screamed and ran down the path until they passed Soru and Elise, where they stopped.

"Hazel!" Soru said with a smile. He then remembered what he just did. "Oops!"

"Oh my! You're still alive!" Hazel said, sighing with relief. She embraced Soru tightly. "I was so scared!"

The group all hugged each other and exchanged stories on what just went down. They continued walking on the path, which would lead them to the outside.

"I haven't heard of anything from Team Rocket for a long time…" Stetson told the group. "It's actually been around two years since an incident with them has surfaced. Do you think we should report it?"

The others shrugged. "I think that, if we do that, we won't be able to get on with our journey," Hazel responded. "I think we should just watch out for them. If we see anything else, then we'll report."

Soru nodded. "Cops freak me out… They smell…"

Stetson laughed and looked up. A bright light came from the end of the tunnel. He motioned for them to follow, and they did. The four trainers reached the exit and came to a hill that overlooked their next route. In the distance lied a city and Hazel's next gym battle.

"Cerulean City, here we come!" Hazel shouted.

* * *

**A/N And a new chapter! Next week, we'll only be posting on Wednesday. Friday, we'll be really busy. But hooray for Wednesday!**

**Q1) What do you think Hazel and group's role will play in the Team Rocket story?**

**Q2) Predictions for Hazel's battle against Cerulean?**


	15. The Thief

**Hazel's Pokémon**

**Mudkip - Level 20 - Mud-Slap, Tackle, Growl, and Water Gun**

**Bulbasaur - Level 18 - Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Tackle, and Leech Seed**

**Chapter 15 – The Thief**

The group had another small trek before they would enter into Cerulean City. Unlike Route 3, Route 4 was filled with green. Tall, trees were scattered everywhere, planted deep into a giant, grassy field. It was not a forest, but it had enough trees around the area that one could confuse it for one.

"I'm so tired of walking…" Soru groaned. His stomach rumbled, and he grabbed ahold of it. He shushed it, thinking that it would listen.

Stetson stifled a laugh. "You don't really think that'll work."

Hazel pushed Stetson slightly. "Don't even bother…"

"How about we stop and take a break? We still have a few hours before we'll reach Cerulean, and I know that we'll all be hungry in a bit. It'd be nice to just have dinner," Elise suggested. She had shifted back slightly when the group stared at her. Elise was yet to be comfortable being around a group.

Everyone agreed, and the group set up a small spot to cook. Each trainer released their Pokémon, letting them stretch and get out of their Poké Balls.

Mudkip played with Squirtle, both using Water Gun to playfully tag each other. Sentret hung around Soru, wanting to get to the food as quickly as she could. Charmander slept near a tree, which the group thought could be dangerous because of Charmander's flame. Somehow, Charmander found a way to avoid catching it on fire. Bulbasaur ran laps around the trainers, training his speed by himself. Nidoran tried to chase Bulbasaur, nipping at his feet and irritating him. Elise sat, crisscrossed, on the ground, her egg placed in between her legs. The egg was mostly black with one silver streak slicing diagonal down its side.

The Pokémon that the group did not see doing anything—because he got lost—was Torchic. Torchic wandered through the trees, eventually going in deeper, where one would consider it a forest. He did not know what he was looking for or where he was going, but he knew he would find something—maybe.

After wandering for a few moments, he came to a tree whose scent wavered from afar. He looked up into the leaves, noticing that there were many berries in the tree. Mouth watering and hunger rising, Torchic was able to claw himself up into the tree.

He took one last look at one of the berries before lunging forward. He snapped his beak, hoping to get a big bite, but missed. He looked around frantically. The berry had gone missing. Ignoring the missing berry, Torchic jumped for another, once more snapping his beak onto nothing. This time, Torchic's curiosity had risen to its highest. He glanced up, noticing a fire, similar to the one that was on Charmander's tail.

"Torchic?" he questioned.

He grinned mischievously and jumped forward. Snapping his beak onto the fire, Torchic had bit down onto something else. A tail. A tail attached to something. A tail attached to something big.

Back with the trainer's, Soru had finally finished up lunch. He had grilled some sandwiches that he had made, trying something new rather than forcing down another bowl of soup.

"Hey, have you guys seen Torchic?" Soru asked, placing a bowl of food next to Charmander.

Stetson shook his head. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him with the others."

Soru looked around frantically before the group heard a loud roaring coming from the trees. Soru ran out, noticing Torchic running for his life. Torchic jumped into Soru's arms, crying from fright.

"Torchic, what's wrong?" Soru asked, oblivious to the shadow that had started to cover him.

"Soru, watch out!" Hazel screamed. She ran out into the small clearing and tackled down Soru.

When the two looked up, they noticed a giant Pokémon, similar to Charmander in color and looks, but with wings and two horns, in the air.

"Charizard!" Stetson said in awe.

"It looks angry," Elise noted, trying not to take any pictures because of the dire situation.

Charizard swooped down, trying to snatch up the two trainers, or at least intimidate them.

"Charizard, calm down!" a voice bellowed from afar.

When the trainers looked up, they noticed a girl coming their way. Her image made them uncomfortable. She was taller than them, with cream colored skin. Her long back hair fell down her back, which was almost completely bare. She wore a red tank top with black shorts, topped off with black, fingerless gloves and black combat boots. Not only were they uncomfortable, but the boys were a little flustered.

"Whoa," Stetson mumbled, taking in the girl's attractiveness. She was clearly more mature than them.

"What did you do to anger my Charizard?" the girl asked. She had a stern voice, and the group did not know how to answer. They however knew that if they did not, the girl would probably be even more infuriated.

"Um…" Soru started, a lump forming in his throat. "I think that my Torchic may have angered him." Soru picked up Torchic and held him out, as though he was using him for a sacrifice.

The girl scrunched up her nose and took a quick look at Torchic. The then folded her arms and smiled. "That makes sense. My Charizard doesn't like small Pokémon."

Soru tried to smile and wiped sweat from his forehead. "Well…it's good to know that we're safe."

"I don't know about that," the girl chimed, still smiling. She narrowed her eyes at the group. "Give me all of your cash and food, then we'll talk about you being safe."

"What?!" the group screeched together.

"You're kidding, right?" Soru asked, trying to add a nervous laugh.

The girl shook her head. "You see, I don't want to make my money the hard way. It'd be easier to do it this way. Less work!"

"We're not giving you anything!" Hazel snapped. "And even if we did, we'd call the police!"

The girl raised her hand into the air and snapped her fingers. Charizard rose back into the sky and took a deep breath.

Stetson stood in front of Elise, while Soru slipped his way behind Hazel.

"Rein, stop!" a shrill voice screeched. Charizard halted while the girl turned huffed and turned around.

Another girl ran out of the trees. She had a different look to her than the other girl. She looked not nearly as energetic or as fit. She had long brown hair that was kept into a braid, pale skin, and a slender body. She had on white sneakers, maroon skinny jeans, and to top it off, a purple sweater.

"Don't get involved Ven. I'm trying to get lunch!" the girl now known as Rein snapped.

"Not like this!" Ven replied.

Rein shook her head and motioned with her hand for Charizard to come back down. Charizard pouted, letting himself glide back to the ground.

"So, you're not going to kill us?" Soru asked, peaking his head out from behind Hazel.

Ven shook her head. "Even if she would have attacked, I doubt that she would have killed you."

"You're lucky we don't call the cops!" Stetson snapped.

Rein stuck out her hand, making it into a mouth. "You're lucky we don't call the cops!" she repeated, mocking Stetson.

"I'm really sorry for Rein," Ven apologized. She grabbed ahold of Rein's head and pushed it forward, forcing her to bow.

"They're kind of odd," Hazel murmured to Soru.

"What was that?!" Rein screeched. She shot up and glared at Hazel.

Soru quickly moved in front of Hazel. "She didn't mean anything by it! We were just stopping for lunch! Would you care to join us?"

All of the trainers gave him a questionable look, but his smile never wavered.

After a lot of debate as to whether or not they should join the group for lunch, Soru was able to convince the group to let them. He had used the argument, 'even if they are bad, they are less likely to be bad if we are nice'.

Rein had returned Charizard to her Poké Ball and took a seat next to Ven, who sat around the fire that Stetson had built. Soru and Stetson pushed up a log to the fire and offered a seat to the two other girls. Elise and Hazel happily agreed and sat.

"So, I'm guessing that your names are Rein and Ven?" Stetson said, taking a seat next to the log. Soru had moved to take a seat in between the two strangers.

"My name is Reinforce Yuikimora or Rein for short," Rein answered. She had earned awkward stares from the group. They had never heard of a name like that before.

"And I'm Veniza Hijiri, but I go by Ven," Ven added.

Soru scratched his head. "Why do you have weird names?"

Rein took in a deep breath and scowled at the boy. She glanced over at Ven, who was shaking her head nervously. She turned her head, cursing the boy.

The group all shared stories about their adventures. Ven and Rein explained how they have been friends for a long time and how they have traveled all around the world. They were visiting Kanto for some relaxation. The group shared their experiences so far. Everything from Hazel and Soru coming to Kanto, to them meeting Team Rocket in Mt. Moon.

"You had a run in with Team Rocket?" Rein asked. The group nodded, and Rein looked taken aback. "I'm surprised that you came out alive!"

"I guess that means that they've returned…" Ven mumbled.

"Returned?" Hazel wondered.

"I'm guessing that you're all too young to know a lot about it," Rein said. She crossed her arms and glared at them.

"Then share!" Soru said, happy that it was story time.

"Well, three years ago, Team Rocket came to be known as a horrible crime syndicate throughout the Kanto region. They had been around for many years, but they had not been a serious threat until three years ago," Ven explained.

"They had started to recruit people from all over and stole Pokémon from helpless trainers. Some broke into houses and wrecked havoc across the region!" Rein added.

Soru pulled Torchic closer. "I don't know what I would do if they stole Torchic!"

Ven smiled. "But then came along Azul."

"The indigo league winner years ago?" Stetson asked.

"Yeah! Azul came along and beat most of Team Rocket!" Rein exclaimed. "But unfortunately, he didn't beat their leader. After that, he went into hiding."

"Hiding?" Hazel asked.

"That's right. You're from Hoenn. I'm guessing that there wasn't a lot of coverage of it over there," Rein guessed. "There are a lot of rumors that went around, but one thing is for sure; after Azul's battle with Team Rocket's leader, he disappeared."

"Some people think that he released his Pokémon and moved to a far away region," Stetson added.

Elise nodded. "I one time heard a rumor that he got eaten by a Gyarados."

The group stayed quiet for awhile. Each one of them had Team Rocket on their minds, and what they had planned. If Team Rocket did officially return, would Azul return too?

Rein broke the silence. "I personally hope that he returns one day. I would love to have a battle with him some day."

Hazel nodded. "From what I've heard, he sounds like he'd be fun to battle!"

The group continued to share what they dreamed for on their journeys. Hazel hoped to go on to win the Indigo League and travel the world after that. Rein shared some of her past, including a tidbit on how her parents left her when she was a child. She has been alone with Ven since.

After awhile of talking, each of the trainers started to fall asleep. Soru and Ven were down first, seemingly falling into one another, resting their heads on each other. Elise cuddled up with Cyndaquil by the fire and was in dream land before anyone noticed. Stetson curled up into his blanket and slowly fell asleep. He was still suspicious about Rein and did not want to fall asleep with her still awake. Hazel and Rein were left alone.

"So, explain your buddy here," Rein said, pointing her thumb at Soru. "How come he seems so comfortable?"

Hazel smiled. "I don't think that Soru knows the difference between the bad and good in people."

"Are you saying that I'm bad?"

"No!" Hazel replied. "Soru is just able to bring out the good in people and Pokémon. He does it naturally. I guess that's why he is my best friend."

Rein laughed then wrapped her dark red blanket around her. She laid next to the fire. "That is a good thing."

Hazel sat around for awhile longer. She had usually made an effort to go to sleep earlier, but she wanted to enjoy the night. She only stayed awake for about ten minutes. Then she relaxed into the grass and fell asleep.

"Hazel, wake up!" Stetson called.

Hazel felt herself being jerked around. She darted up and pointed her eyes around. "What is it?"

"They cleaned us out!" Stetson snapped. He looked through his bag. "They didn't take anything personal. But all of our supplies like food or Pokémon potions are gone!"

"They left us a note," Elise stated. She picked up two pieces of paper and read them aloud.

"Dear, friends. I am so sorry! You see, we have no way of getting any supplies seeing as Rein is kind of…wanted. I promise you that we will one day pay you back! Once again, I'm very sorry! ~ Ven."

"What does that one say?" Stetson asked, pointing at the other paper.

Soru grabbed it and read it.

"SIKE! ~ Rein."

"Ah!" Stetson screamed. "When I find them, I'm going to kill them! I don't care how much stronger they are; I'll kill them!"

Hazel laughed. Even though they had got most of their stuff stolen, she felt oddly happy.

* * *

**A/N So, this is the conclusion to the first arc of Hazel's story. I've been stuck on chapter 16, so it may be awhile till I update this story. I hate when I get stuck. We will be updating Free and Heather's story Friday. So, be looking out for that!**


	16. A First Contest

**Hazel's Pokemon**

**Mudkip - Level 21 - Mud-Slap, Tackle, Growl, and Water Gun**

**Bulbasaur - Level 19 - Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Tackle, and Leech Seed**

**Chapter 16 – A First Contest**

* * *

The group got an early start after their items had been stolen, and found the Cerulean City Pokémon Center. Getting to the Pokémon Center took all day.

During their remaining time on Route 4, they had gone over what their next plans were. Stetson encouraged them to get supplies as soon as possible. Hazel was ready for her next battle. And Soru and Elise didn't care, so long as they could sleep soon.

After walking the whole day, the group decided on sleep. A good night's rest would help them the next day, where they could take their time to do whatever was needed.

Stetson woke up early, like he usually would. He got ready for the day and woke up Hazel, leaving Elise and Soru to sleep. They often would sleep longer than any other people in the group. It was as though they had a sleeping contest.

Hazel showered and dressed before meeting Stetson in the Pokémon Center lobby.

"Is there anything you're wanting from the store?" Stetson asked. He shuffled through his bag, taking inventory. "I'll have to get a lot of supplies after what those thieves did! It's lucky that I had a lot of money saved up in my account."

Hazel fastened her ponytail, her brown hair waving around uncontrollably. "I'm no good at that kind of stuff. I think that maybe a few Poké Balls would be helpful. But that's up to you."

Stetson nodded and left. Hazel ordered food and waited for the other two come out of the room. They came out together, already prepared for their day. Cyndaquil rested on Elise's shoulder, and Soru held Torchic tight.

"What's the plans for today?" Soru asked, taking a seat next to Hazel.

"Stetson just left for the Mart, but other than that, I have no clue," Hazel responded.

Soru sighed and looked up at the television screen. The local programming turned to a commercial, revealing a giant dome. A light blue ribbon materialized over the ribbon.

"Attention all Coordinators!" a woman's voice boomed. "If you haven't heard yet, today is the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest! Whether you're a veteran coordinator, or a rookie, this is the contest to enter! Remember, the cutoff is at 3 p.m. today!"

"We have to go!" Soru screeched. The two trainers looked at him. He was always hyper, but it was too early for them to take it in.

"Why do you want to go there?" Hazel asked.

"I…uh…" Soru stammered.

"I want to get in training today, if that's okay," Hazel added. "I think I'll just train on Nugget Bridge."

"But, Hazel…"

"I'd like to go," Elise added. "We should probably get there at 4, so we don't have to wait so long!"

Soru shook his head and poked his fingers together. "But…"

"It's settled. I'll train with Stetson on Nugget Bridge, and you guys can go to the contest!" Hazel said with a smile.

"No!" Soru yelled. The two looked at him, curious as to why he was so excited. "I mean… I really want to go to the contest. I want to participate…"

"I never took you for a Coordinator," Hazel remarked before she took a sip of her chocolate shake.

"Why do you want to give it a try?" Elise asked.

"You see, I watched a few contest battles and performances awhile back, when we were in Viridian. I've never been a great battler, but I think I can appeal with my Pokémon. I've been training in private with Torchic and Charmander to make beautiful combos. I just want to try it."

Hazel sighed then smiled. "I guess I'll cancel my training plans! But we have to get your registered first!"

"I have awhile to register. We can wait for Stetson to get back, tell him the good news, then leave!" Soru announced.

The two agreed, and they finished up their meal. Soru fed all of the Pokémon, leaving out extra for Stetson's Pokémon. And in no time, Stetson had returned.

"They cleaned us out completely. I had to use up almost all of my money," Stetson announced while he dropped his shopping bags onto the ground. While Stetson's Pokémon ate, the group scurried to fit all of the supplies into their bags so they could tell Stetson the good news.

"So, you'll be going into today's contest, eh?" Stetson said after Soru explained everything. "That sounds awesome. I think your Pokémon would do great!"

"We should get going. Registration ends soon," Elise announced. She glanced at her watch and poked at it playfully.

The group gathered their bags and left for the stadium. The contest was taking place in the Cerulean Gym. It would be a chance for Hazel to get a good look at it.

Once they reached the gym, they were able to take in its spectacle. It was huge in comparison to Pewter's Gym. The building was blue and dome shaped, paintings of water-type Pokémon on the walls.

When they entered, the first thing that they noticed was tanks. Tanks of water-Pokémon were everywhere. Where there would be walls, there were tanks.

"I'm going to go and register," Soru announced. "You all get good seats now!"

"Good luck, Soru!" the group said before leaving for the stands.

Soru quickly registered, receiving his ribbon case and an I.D. card. He darted to the back room where he would watch other coordinators perform and give his Pokémon a pep talk.

Once he was there, he released Torchic and Charmander.

"Now, guys. We have to be careful. We've been practicing a lot, but we're on a special stage. The Cerulean Gym may give us some trouble," Soru told them. He smiled. "But no matter what, we'll give it out best."

"This place is huge," Hazel commented while she took a seat in the stands along with the other two.

Elise took a few shots of the stage. "Soru is going to give me some great shots, I bet!"

"I can't wait to see him in action. I never expected him to really do anything with his Pokémon. This will be interesting," Stetson replied.

"Welcome one and all to the special Cerulean City Pokémon Contest," an announcer screamed into the microphone. The stage lights reflected off of her sparkly, red dress. Her blonde hair was curled and hung off her shoulders. And to compliment her dress, she pasted on bright red lipstick.

"A special thanks goes out to the Cerulean City Gym Leader, Misty!" the crowd cheered while the lights in the stadium redirected to the judges panels. A red-headed teenager stood up from her seat and waved to the crowd.

"So, that's the gym leader," Hazel mumbled.

"She will be serving as our special fourth judge today. And as for the other judges, you all may be able to recognize Cerulean City's own, Nurse Joy!" the lights moved to Nurse Joy, who simply stood up and nodded at the crowd. "Mr. Sukizo!" the next just was small in stature, but that didn't affect his wide smile. He brown hair was shaved to a thin cut, and the suit that he wore was simple, complimented by a plain red tie.

"Thank you all for having me! It is truly remarkable!" the judge said happily.

"Raoul Contesta!" The last judge was much taller than Mr. Sukizo. His hair, graying in the middle and at the sides, was slicked back. He wore a red suit, complimenting his classy look.

"I thank everyone for coming today! I can't wait to see all of our competitors perform. May you support them and drive them to do their best," Raoul said with a smile.

Soru, in the backroom, sat with his Pokémon, both of them on his lap.

"Are you ready for this, guys?"

"Char!"

"Torchic!"

Coordinator after coordinator performed. Soru watched them all, amazed by some of the things that people had done. The only thing that worried him was the field. It was a water field, which could prove trouble for Soru's Pokémon.

After many more trainers came and went, Soru's name was called. He returned Charmander into his ball and walked down the hallway with Torchic in his arms. He could feel his heart race, pounding against his chest. It was an unfamiliar feeling.

"Introducing next—this is his first contest—give it up for Soru Oberon!" the announcer screamed.

Soru appeared from behind the curtain, and the crowd went nuts.

He didn't expect the stage to look as it did. All of the contest halls that he watched before had a simple, flat stage. This stage was instead filled with pools of water. Only one strip of land floated. The land that Soru stood on.

He took a breath and smiled before looking down at Torchic.

"Are you ready?"

"Torchic!"

"Alright! Ember!" Soru ordered, tossing Torchic into the air.

Torchic spun around, releasing the tiny pellets of flames.

"Peck!"

As if he knew what Soru was thinking, Torchic pecked at the different pellets of fire, taking them into his mouth.

Soru stuck out his hand, and Torchic landed on it. "We'll finish this one off with super Ember!"

Torchic tilted his head up and let loose a gigantic flame. The flame exploded in the air, raining small bits of ashes onto the stage.

Soru and Torchic stood still, waiting for the appeal to sink in. And without having to wait for too long, the crowd was on their feet.

"What a wonderful display of your Pokémon's power. Not only that, but how in sync you two are," Raoul complimented with a smile.

"Absolutely remarkable!"

"We really got to see how beautiful a fire-type can be with your display. In addition, it looked like you both were having fun!" Nurse Joy opined.

Misty shook her head. "I feel like you wasted the stage. That could have been performed at any contest, but you decided to do it here. You should have incorporated the water."

Soru sighed and held Torchic tight. He ran to the back. The next coordinator went through, and Soru stopped at the curtain.

"I don't care what she said, Torchic. I think that you did awesome!" Soru said, his smile still strong.

As all of the competitors went through, Soru sat with his head down in the back of the room. Once everyone was finished, the judges got together and readied to announce who would be moving on.

"How do you think Soru compares?" Hazel asked. She had never watched contests before, her knowledge about the subject not at a high level.

Stetson smiled. "Besides the deal with the water stage, I think he performed very well. But the water stage could hurt him."

Elise scrolled through the pictures on her camera. "Torchic really was beautiful. I say we keep our faith in him!"

"Attention audience members and coordinators! The judges have made their decisions. If you would direct your attention to the screen," the announcer exclaimed.

Soru bit his thumb, feeling nervous once again. The screen flickered on, eight cards appearing on it. The cards flipped one by one, revealing the coordinators who'd move on.

"One…two…three…four…" Hazel murmured, hoping to see Soru's face on one of the cards.

"Five…six…seven…" Soru counted. Seven. There was one more, and Soru's face was yet to be shown. He messed up. There was only one more card left, and there was no way he'd be on it. He was new to this. The rookie.

"Eight…"

The trainers gaped at the sight. The eighth card flipped, revealing the brightest smile they could imagine.

"I made it!" Soru screeched, jumping up and down with his Pokémon. "I can't believe that I made it!"

"Congratulations, Soru!" a soft voice said behind the bouncing boy. He turned, taking in the girl that stood behind him. Her blonde hair, pulled back and braided, hung over her shoulder. A green sun dress mixed with a brown belt complimented her light green eyes.

"Do I know you?" Soru wondered.

The girl blushed. "Um, no… But we both had similar appeals. We both didn't use the water and got points docked for it."

Soru glanced back up the screen—graphic confetti now embezzled all over it—and noticed the girl's face on the sixth card.

"I'm Luna Elanor. This is also my first contest," she said with a smile.

"Oh. I'm Soru! Congrats on moving forward!"

Luna pointed her finger at the screen, redirecting Soru's attention. The cards shuffled and moved around.

"We will now decide the order of battle! There will be three rounds to decide the victor!"

Soru glanced around frantically, finding his name quickly.

"I'm in the first match!" he said happily.

"And I'm in the last one," Luna stated. "Good luck, Soru!"

"You too, Lily!"

"Luna…"

"This contest battle will be between coordinators Soru Oberon and Cane Kudo! A winner will be announced when either the time runs out, a Pokémon faints, or a Pokémon loses all of their points!"

In the middle of the field was a small pool. The rest of the field was colored blue, keeping to the water theme.

"Let's go, Eevee!" Cane screamed, his small brown Pokémon jumping off of his shoulder.

Soru's opponent had an extravagant look. His hair, red as fire, was spiked into the air, matching his red eyes. A black shirt with yellow stripes hid under a brown vest. To top it all off, he wore white pants with red trim.

"You ready, Charmander?" Soru asked. Charmander nodded and walked forward onto the stage.

"Begin!"

"Eevee, use Swift!" Cane ordered before Soru could even think.

Eevee flipped into the air, stars flying from his body.

"Block it with Flamethrower!" Soru screamed.

Flames bellowed from Charmander's mouth, easily blowing through the Swift.

"Keep it going!"

Charmander cried out, causing more flames to emerge. When they died down, Eevee was gone. A hole had been made where Eevee once stood.

"Where did he go?" Soru screeched.

The ground shook at Charmander's feet, and Eevee emerged. Both Pokémon flew back, Charmander landing near the water.

Cane smiled. "Take Down! Let's knock them in the water!"

"Use Flamethrower and spin!" Soru ordered desperately.

Charmander nodded before he started to spin. Flames blew from his mouth, stopping Eevee in his tracks.

"Metal Claw!"

Charmander stopped, but before the flames could die down, he lunged forward and slashed at Eevee.

"Flamethrower!"

As Eevee fell back, Charmander let loose flames. The flames engulfed Eevee, but he was able to recover.

"Take Down!" Cane commanded.

Eevee checked into the fire-type, pushing him closer to the small pond.

"We need to get out of there!" Soru cried. "Ember!"

Charmander stopped panicking and shot his head down, small pellets of fire aimed right at Eevee.

Instinctively, Eevee dug into the ground, easily avoiding the attack. Charmander moved away from the pond before he could be knocked into it.

"Shadow Ball!" Soru heard Cane yell.

Eevee blew out from under the ground. A black orb formed in front of his mouth, and he released it towards Charmander.

"Get out of the way!" Soru screeched.

Charmander did a cartwheel, maneuvering around the ball. Once he was back onto all-fours, he took in a deep breath. A green flame emerged from his mouth, blasting into Eevee. He flew back, landing hard on the ground. But to Soru's surprise, Eevee stood back up.

Before either trainer could order for another attack, the buzzer went off. They both stopped in their tracks and turned their attention the screen.

"Time is up!" the announcer screamed. "And our winner is…"

"Please…" Hazel mumbled.

"Soru!" the announcer screamed. Soru's face appeared on the screen, and it moved up on the bracket. "He will be moving onto the second round!"

"Yeah!" Soru yelled while he ran onto the field and grabbed ahold of Charmander. "We did it!"

The other trainers went on the field and battled while Soru let Charmander rest. He didn't believe that he actually went on. And the fact that he was able to last for a whole five minutes surprised him even more.

The three other matches went by fast, and before he knew it, Soru was back on the field.

"The next battle will be between Zook Smitty and Soru Oberon! The rules are the same as before! Now, let's begin!"

"Smitty?" Hazel wondered. "Are you related?"

Stetson shook his head. "Nope! Never heard of him."

"You got lucky in your last battle. But you won't with me!" Zook said, a smile on his face. "I use my head! Kecleon, c'mon out!"

A green Pokémon materialized, a red stripe across his body.

"You got this, Charmander!"

"Char!" he cried, running onto the field.

"Kecleon, let's get a feel for the field! Use Quick Attack!"

Kecleon nodded before bounding forward. He easily crossed the water, as if he flew right over it.

"Dodge! Then use Metal Claw!" Soru called, watching the green Pokémon get closer.

Charmander jumped out of the way, causing Kecleon to stop and look around. His claws then turned to metal, and he lunged at Kecleon. Before Zook could order anything, Kecleon jumped out of the way and disappeared from sight.

"Did you see that?" the announcer asked the crowd. "Or NOT see that! Kecleon just disappeared."

"Oh no…" Soru sighed.

"Let's use Lick!" Zook commanded.

Charmander suddenly cried out, a wet spot appearing on his tongue. He tried to move, but another damp object touched him.

"Get out of there!" Soru yelled.

Charmander ran around frantically, but every time he moved, he ran into what was like an invisible, wet wall.

"He can't get around it!" Elise exclaimed.

"I know!" Soru said happily. "Use Flamethrower at the ground!"

Charmander, exhausted from running around, used what energy he could and shot flames at the ground. The force from the fire flung him into the air.

Soru looked around the field, spotting a red stripe floating in the air.

"Maybe…" Soru thought. "Okay, Charmander! Use Dragon Rage on the red stripe!"

Charmander looked around, also noticed the stripe. He unleashed the green flame, connecting directly with the stripe. Kecleon reappeared, landing on the ground. He fainted on the spot.

The buzzer went off, all judges knowing that Kecleon was done.

"It looks like, either by look or some hidden skill, Soru wins!"

With that, Soru went to the back. He gave his Charmander a short pep talk while the other battle, and before he knew it, it was over.

Luna ran to the back, having won her last match. It would come down to him or her.

"You did really well!" Luna complimented.

"Thank you!" Soru replied. He didn't pay much attention to Luna's match, so he didn't know what to expect.

The two were called, and they made their way down the hallway. The stopped at the curtains, both peaking through them and at the crowd.

"Good luck," Soru said.

"You too!"

The two walked out, took their places at the trainers boxes, and prepared for battle.

"Here we are! Our final battle of the day. The battle that will decide the fate of the Cerulean City Ribbon! Which one of these rookies will be taking the ribbon home?"

Charmander walked out onto the stage and growled, ready to defeat another opponent.

"Chikorita, the stage is set!" Luna called, tossing her Poké Ball into the air. A tiny, green Pokémon with a leaf on her head appeared in front of Luna.

"Looks like Soru has the type-advantage," Stetson noted.

"Charmander, Flamethrower!" Soru ordered.

Charmander jumped over the pool and released smooth flames from his mouth. The flames raced across the field, heading on route for Chikorita.

"Dodge!" Luna called.

Without skipping a beat, Chikorita twirled out of the way of the flames. Within her little dance, she twisted her head, flinging leaves at Charmander.

"Vine Whip!

Chikorita stopped elegantly dancing and lifted her vines from her body. She struck the vines against the ground, digging them directly into it.

"What?" Soru wondered.

The vines suddenly lifted from the ground, smacking Charmander in the face. The red Pokémon rolled back but quickly regained his footing. Charmander, now angered, released green flames into the air.

"Yeah!" Soru said happily. "Dragon Rage!"

Charmander bounded forward, releasing the flames. They engulfed Chikorita, and the fire-type ceased the attack, proud of his progress.

"Chikorita!" Luna cried.

Chikorita backed a few feet, but was ready for her next command.

"Razor Leaf!"

With another swing of her head, Chikorita released leaves. The leaves raced down the field, heading straight for Charmander.

"Metal Claw!" Soru screamed.

Charmander opened his palms, his claws turning metallic. He swiped forward, easily blowing through them.

"Get up close and use Flamethrower!"

Charmander obeyed, lunging forward. Flames exploded from his mouth, only a few feet away from Chikorita.

"Spin, and use Vine Whip!" Luna screeched.

Chikorita twirled around, smacking one of her vines against Charmander's face. The flames died down quickly, and he was thrown back.

Soru glanced up at his points, watching as they were being depleted quickly.

"Synthesis!"

Chikorita stood proudly, taking in the sunlight from the glass ceiling. Her body started to glow a light yellow, and she prepared for her next attack.

"Glowing Razor Leaf!" Luna ordered, snapping her fingers and doing a small dance.

A barrage of leaves flew from Chikorita's body. They each glowed like the sun. Charmander was pelted hard, causing him to fly past the small pool and to Soru's feet.

The buzzer went off, and everyone brought their attention to the screen. Luna had most of her points, while Soru's had been completely depleted.

"And the winner of the Cerulean City Contest is Luna!"

"Soru!" Hazel cried. She ran as fast as she could and embraced him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" Soru replied. "Why wouldn't I?"

Hazel looked at him, his usual smile planted on his face.

"You're okay?"

"Yeah! No problem!" Soru responded. "Let's have dinner! I'm starving!"

The group walked slowly to the Pokémon Center, random strangers shouting out Soru's name. It had been weird for him. He never thought of himself as a star.

After a few minutes, the group finally got to the Pokémon Center. Soru immediately started to make dinner, wanting to congratulate his Pokémon as soon as possible.

He finished quickly and sat down at the table with his friends. Their waiter dropped off chocolate milkshakes, and they clanged them together.

"Number 2 isn't that bad for your first try!" Elise said with a smile. "And I got a bunch of awesome pictures!"

"I think you did awesome! I'd like to train with you sometime!" Stetson added.

Hazel smiled and looked at her friend. No part of him seemed upset. He was normal as ever. It was as if he didn't even compete.

"Well, I've made the decision to continue with contests. I think I can become a great coordinator if I keep trying!"

"Yeah!" the group agreed.

"Torchic!"

"Charmander!" his Pokémon cried happily.

"Then it's settled!" Soru said, taking a big gulp of chocolate shake. "Watch out contests, here I come!"

* * *

**A/N Very sorry for the late updates!**

**But as my excuse, it has been a hectic week.**

**Heather and I graduated!**


	17. A Nuzthief

**Hazel's Pokemon**

**Mudkip - Level 21 - Mud-Slap, Tackle, Growl, and Water Gun**

**Bulbasaur - Level 19 - Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Tackle, and Leech Seed**

**Chapter 17 – A Nuzthieff**

* * *

"Your Pokémon are doing great!" Nurse Joy chimed while handing over Hazel's two Poké Balls.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy!" Hazel replied.

"Are you going to be challenging the Gym Leader today?" the nurse asked.

Hazel thought on it and shook her head. "I'd like to get some training in. Don't get me wrong; I want to battle, but I'm not sure if I'm ready."

"It's good not to rush into things. I suggest, if you're going to train, you should make a trip to Bill's house," Joy said. "He could give you great information on Pokémon. And the trip would be a nice way to train."

"Let's go!" Soru said happily, giving Hazel a one armed hugged.

"I wouldn't mind a fun trip," Stetson opined.

Elise nodded. "I can get some great pictures!"

"Then let's get going!" Soru said with a smile.

The group left the Pokémon Center, heading north of Cerulean City. It wasn't long until they reached the Nugget Bridge, it's sturdy, sand-colored wood, stood strong above the rushing river. Hazel took the first step onto the bridge, hearing it creaked. It frightened her slightly, never being on a bridge above water in her life.

"I'll make sure you don't fall," Stetson said, pushing her forward lightly.

"But if we fall, we get to swim!" Soru cheered.

"I don't want to damage my camera…" Elise mumbled, taking pictures of the bridge and water.

"Then let's go…"

As the group continued walking, they noticed many different trainers having battles on the bridge. Hazel was worried that there could one simple attack could blow a chunk out of the bridge, but her worries left once she realized that there were a bunch of low-leveled Pokémon.

"This is one of the best places to train your Pokémon. A lot of novice trainers come here before they challenge the gym," Stetson explained.

Hazel nodded. "Maybe I should get some training in, if that's the case."

"Me too!" Soru added, peering over the bridge into the water. "Fish…"

"Look…" Elise said, pointing farther down the bridge.

A boy, not any older that Hazel, was scrambling around. He tried talking to trainers, who would just respond by telling him to leave, because they were battling. After one-to-many rejections, he slumped down on the edge of the bridge.

The group, curious as ever, ran to the boy.

"What has you bothered, chum?" Soru asked, his smile instantly showing how welcoming he was.

The boy shot up, his light blue eyes piercing the group. "I need your help! My Pokémon were stolen!"

"What?" the group questioned together.

The boy nodded, his blonde hair bouncing with his every movement. "Well… not exactly. As you can see, I don't have a bag. I was totally mugged! Everything I had was stolen!"

"Sounds like Rein…" Stetson mumbled. "We'll find who did this to you! And we'll make them pay!"

The group, including the boy who introduced himself as Zachary, ran down Nugget Bridge. They came to a small clearing, Zachary showing them the exact spot where he was attacked.

"Right here!" he said, pointing at a tree stump. "Whoever they were, they came out of nowhere!"

Elise glanced around, looking at the surrounding forested area. She took pictures, zooming on multiple Pokémon as they shifted around.

"Can you describe what the people looked like?" Stetson asked, eager to possibly get his stuff back too.

Zachary shook his head. "No. In fact, they didn't even sound human."

"What?" Stetson mumbled.

Elise glanced up and started to back up, bumping into Soru. "Guys…"

The group looked at her, noticing that she was pointing to the trees. A group of brown Pokémon were emerging from the trees, moving closer to the group. They rattled as they moved, slightly chanting.

"That's the noise!" Zachary chimed. "Woo… Now all we have to do is find who did it."

"I think we found them…" Hazel murmured. She pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"Nuzleaf, the Wily Pokémon, and the evolved form of Seedot. Nuzleaf live in densely overgrown forests. They occasionally venture out of the forest to scare people. This Pokémon dislikes having its long nose pinched," it chimed.

"I didn't think of pinching its nose…" Soru interjected. "But now I'm curious…"

The leading Nuzleaf laughed, tossing a giant yellow bag in front of him.

"That's my bag! It has my Poké Balls in it!" Zachary cried. He jolted forward, but the Nuzleaf was quick, grabbing the bag and glaring. He reached out his hand, motioning for the rest of the group to give up their possessions.

"Oh… Hell no!" Stetson snapped. "Let's battle!"

The group nodded, tossing their Poké Balls into the air. Hazel's Bulbasaur and Mudkip appeared, ready to battle. Soru's Pokémon tumbled out of their balls, Torchic looking as though he was just woken up. Cyndaquil and Sentret blew out of Elise's Poké Balls, confused as to why they were released. And finally, Stetson's Pokémon were revealed, Nidoran ready to fight while Squirtle hid behind his trainer's leg.

The Nuzleaf laughed, scanning over the trainers' Pokémon. The trainers were in their territory, so Nuzleaf had the home field advantage.

"Get ready…" Stetson murmured as a few of the Nuzleaf bounded forward.

"I got this!" Soru yelled. "Both of you, use Ember!"

Soru's fire-types replied, jumping forward and releasing small pellets of fire from their mouths. A few of the Nuzleaf were pelted by the attack, but some were able to dodge. Two continued, one smacking Torchic with his hand, the other releasing an onslaught of leaves upon Charmander.

"Cyndaquil!" Elise cried. Her Pokémon nodded, jumping forward. He cried out, his body becoming engulfed in fire. With swift movements, he was able to wheel himself around the small field, knocking back the two Nuzleaf.

"You go, girl!" Hazel yelled.

"Hazel, watch out!" Stetson warned, pointing into the air. The Nuzleaf were falling from the sky, all of them holding giant boulders. "That's Rock Tomb!"

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf! And Mudkip, use Water Gun!"

Hazel's Pokémon complied, their attacks racing towards the sky. They pelted into two of the Nuzleaf, the other easily escaping. He dropped to the ground, slamming his rock onto Mudkip.

"No! Mudkip!"

"Sentret, use Fury Swipes!" Elise ordered her other Pokémon while Cyndaquil ripped through other Nuzleaf.

Sentret jumped into the air, landing onto one of the Nuzleaf's face. She angrily scratched at the Pokémon's face, making it thrash around.

Stetson glanced around, watching as the bigger army of Nuzleaf was making their way towards him and Soru.

"Nidoran, use Poison Sting!" he ordered. He decided not to give Squirtle a command, seeing as she was scared.

Nidoran stood in front of his trainer, releasing poison needles from his horn. The needles scattered of the Nuzleaf, poisoning some of them.

"Your turn, Soru!" Stetson called.

Soru nodded, pointing out at the weakened Nuzleaf. "Charmander, use Flamethrower!"

"Char!" the fire-type cried out, releasing smooth flames from his mouth. The flames engulfed the group of Nuzleaf, forcing some of them to submit.

"Mudkip!" Hazel screamed. Nuzleaf laughed, but was shocked when Bulbasaur lifted the boulder off of Mudkip, the mudfish Pokémon looking barely hurt.

"Awesome!" she cried, relieved that her Pokémon wasn't very hurt. "Mud-Slap!"

Digging his arms into the ground, Mudkip lifted mud out. He shot it out of the ground, smacking the Nuzleaf in the face. The grass-type blindly thrashed around.

"Razor Leaf!" Hazel called.

Bulbasaur nodded, lowering his head and releasing leaves. The leaves sliced into Nuzleaf, knocking the Pokémon back.

Hazel lifted a Poké Ball. "You two did great…"

"Watch out, Sentret!" Elise cried out, watching her Pokémon get Razor Leafed in the back. Sentret dropped off of another Nuzleaf that she was attack, grabbing at her back. The Nuzleaf bounded forward, readying a Headbutt. But before he could get close enough to attack, Cyndaquil flew fire across the grass-type's body. The Pokémon fell to the ground.

Elise cheered before she felt a small tug on her back. She turned, noticing one of the Nuzleaf grabbing at her bag. He had her egg lifted halfway out of the bag, laughing as he pulled it.

"No!" Elise screeched. She pulled the egg away from him. "Cyndaquil, use Flame Wheel!"

The Nuzleaf, looking increasingly nervous, was slammed by the flaming ball that was Cyndaquil. He fainted on contact.

"Torchic, use Peck!" Soru called. He laughed as his Pokémon pecked a Nuzleaf in the eye.

"Now, Charmander, use Scratch!"

His Pokémon nodded, slashing out at the Nuzleaf and finishing it off.

One of the Nuzleaf unleashed a Razor Leaf attack, connecting with Nidoran. The poison-type doubled over, not able to take another attack.

Stetson returned his Pokémon, knowing that he couldn't go on. He glanced down at Squirtle. "You ready to battle, buddy?"

Squirtle, terrified by Nuzleaf's power, stood still.

Nuzleaf chuckled. He bounded forward one more time, readying a Headbutt. Stetson stepped in the way, taking the full brunt of the attack. He keeled over, holding onto his side.

Squirtle's face hardened and she growled. She stepped forward, pointing her arms at the ground. It bubbled, water blowing out. She engulfed the Nuzleaf, blowing him out of the water.

Stetson smiled through the pain. "Rapid Spin!"

Squirtle nodded, all of her shyness disappearing. She dove into her shell, twisting around quickly. The small turtle blew across the field, ramming her hard shell into Nuzleaf. The grass-type skid across the ground, unable to stand back up.

Stetson drew out a Poké Ball. "These guys are awesome battlers! And that's something that I'd like to train!" With that, he tossed his Poké Ball at the Nuzleaf. With a loud crash, the Pokémon was absorbed into the ball. It rocked back and forth, letting out a soft ding.

"Awesome! I caught a Nuzleaf!" Stetson said happily, picking up his Poké Ball.

"Me too!" Hazel yelled out. She carried one of her Poké Balls over.

"I didn't see you capture it…" Soru groaned, disappointed that he missed out.

"And I got my bag back!" Zachary said with a smile. He held up his yellow bag. "Thank you all!"

"But we're a bit off course…" Hazel mumbled. "Could you point us to Bill's house?"

Zachary nodded. "You're looking for Bill? That's awesome!" He turned and pointed off into the distance. A huge lighthouse, its lights circling was in the distance. "He lives at the base of the lighthouse. If you keep on the path, it'll be easy to find."

"Awesome!" Soru cried out. Let's go!"

The group waved as Zachary walked back down the Nugget Bridge. But their minds were focused on what was to be, and all of the different things Bill would teach them.

* * *

**A/N **

**You: What?! JohtoBlue?! A new Hazel update!**

**Me: I know, right?**

**You: But aren't you, ya know, taking a small break from Hazel's story?**

**Me: Well... kind of...**

**You: But you said-**

**Me: I know what I said! But we're updating anyways!**

**Q1) What do you think of Stetson and Hazel adding a Nuzleaf to their parties? Will they be helpful at all?**

**Q2) What are your predictions for Bill's house? (Azul's story and Hazel's story are neck and neck!)**


End file.
